


Another Side: Sporting Hopefuls

by BoydTheReaver, Leliel12



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: (the mastermind is revealed first chapter you have been warned), (though honestly it ain't much of one at this point), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon has been taken out back and shot, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Rewrite, F/M, M/M, Not Beta Read, Shipping, Slow Burn, Spoilers, latest chapter revised!, our city now bitches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2019-07-10 10:14:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 60,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15947264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoydTheReaver/pseuds/BoydTheReaver, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leliel12/pseuds/Leliel12
Summary: A single sentence at the right time can change everything. When Jin Kirigiri spits one last personal aside at the Mastermind of the Killing Game, it gives her enough pause for thought that a few last-minute rules changes and sequences of events are established - and with that, a vastly different School Life of Mutual Killing. When Makoto Naegi awakens to discover fourteen other students trapped with him, what will become of them all when a sadistic robotic bear tells them to kill each other... especially after getting on surprisingly good terms with a certain red-headed baseball star?





	1. Prologue: School Life of Mutual Killing (Part 1/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy _shit_ has this been in the works for a while.
> 
> Now if you've been paying attention to my (Boyd, if it isn't clear who's talking) bookmarks, I've become a pretty damn big fan of Danganronpa... and by proxy, I ended up getting a _serious_ soft spot for Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star. Needless to say, I was pretty damn disappointed to learn his character was shafted as hard as it was in canon, so I'm deciding to give him a second chance to live! And hey, maybe even give the prospect of true love with Everyone's Favorite Adorkable Magnet of Good and Bad Luck? ^^"
> 
> Anyway, I figured that it's doubly worth noting that **there will be a completely new set of survivors and deaths in the "Another Side" timeline, as we're calling it.** I _strongly_ advise that you play the game first before reading this fanfic, because spoilers ahoy! Without further ado, please enjoy the fruits of our labor!

"If you look for **truth** , you may find comfort in the end; if you look for **comfort** you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, **despair**.

~C.S. Lewis

* * *

**(Music - Nightmare in a Locker -<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SuBfOizAE>)**

Mukuro Ikusaba had _long_ since trained any amount of personal empathy out of herself.

First as a mercenary and then as an operative of her sister, the self-proclaimed "Ultimate Despair", a twinge of conscience was a limit and emotion that she did not need, or appreciate. Still, she felt something of a pang of sympathy towards Jin Kirigiri, her former headmaster, as the slightly bloodied bones tumbled out of his impromptu rocket he was stuffed in against his will. Although it was _only_ a twinge in spite of such; most of her emotions were curiosity on how  _being in a rocket_ turned someone into a  _skeleton._

Of course, that's what her train of thought processes  _were._ _Now,_ though, her concerns were placed on a much different subject on the matter: her exasperation with the evil genius that was her sister, Junko Enoshima.

"You have  _got_ to be kidding me." Mukuro, despite her efforts to remain composed, simply shook her head and pinched her nasal bridge. "You're telling me that due to one of the absolute  _last words_ of one of our most _pitiable_ enemies,you're going to now scrap the  _entire plan we've set in place_ for the Killing Game? _At the last minute, no less?"_

As Junko nonchalantly looked at the multitude of monitors in her private security room - where it seemed the fifteen students were still asleep and haven't woken up yet - she didn't even take the time of day to give her sister and colleague the eye contact she deserved when asking that question. Sure, Mukuro would've chalked that up to Junko being her usual inconsistent self, but Mukuro was now legitimately  _angry_ she was being ignored like this.  _"I've asked you a questi - "_

"Christ, take a chill pill. I've heard you the first time." Mukuro's tension instantly deflated upon hearing that lazy, deep voice of hers, simply spinning the wheeled chair she was sitting on to look at Mukuro in the eyes - and with a deactivated (for now) Monokuma in her arms. "Don't worry, we're merely gonna make this game a bit more interesting, now are we? I've already gotten the new executions drafted, changed the rules around a bit, and - "

 _"Not my point."_ Mukuro growled a bit; she knew she wasn't supposed to call out somebody as dangerous as Junko when she had access to all the traps in the entire school, but... she had to voice her opinion, no matter what. "We've stuck to a plan from the beginning, and we've stuck to how the potential blackened would die: Leon getting pelted with baseballs, Byakuya freezing to death in a blizzard, Mondo melting - this has already taken an  _astronomical_ chunk of our budget, and you. Are telling me. Jin's. Last words.  _Rendered that obsolete?"_

Junko simply ignore Mukuro's annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Please, we've got, like, an infinite budget at this rate. You have any idea how many banks we've raided up to this point? Fuck it, how many _white collar_ crimes we're getting away with? It's true, the world itself ended before capitalism! Whatever helps them pretend hope exists at night, the losers."

"You're missing my point; we've stuck to a  _plan,_ Junko, and you're just going to up and ditch it?" At this rate, Mukuro wasn't even mad at this point; she was just  _exasperated._ "Why? What can you possibly gain from - "

"Despair," Junko's answer was curt and taciturn, a rarity from a spastic girl like her.

"I  _get_ your ideology, but it's still despair without planning, and that's - "

"Perfect, isn't it?" Junko smiled sweetly, but Mukuro knew well enough to know there was venom in this snake's bared fangs-and not the kind generated when she was _normally_ smiling like that. "Despair is all about chaos; either you inflict despair on others, or you drown in it yourself. That's the law of the universe. Hope is order, yet it's not orderly enough to prevent that cycle of upheaval. No matter what you do, you simply cannot delay despair. And I will confess... Jin's last few words have given me pause for thought."

Silence. Then Junko grinned even more devilishly. "You remember what he said right?"

Mukuro paused for a quick second before shaking her head, flashbacks of the incident coming back to her in full bloom.

* * *

_"You're a fucking hypocrite! You say despair's the only way, but you have to resort to cheating against hope to achieve it!" Jin spat as he struggled against his bonds. "You have_ nothing _to contribute! NOTHING!"_

_"So?" Junko faded into her falsely sad persona, moping and withdrawn. "It's not like the world's any better. Really, it's kind of a gift-planet ending in a great big despairing bang, rather than a boring whimper-"_

_"Boring!? That's it!? You're_ bored!? _" Even as the rocket's airlock activated, a dark smile came to the headmaster's face. "And you think everything going to plan is going to make you_ less  _bored!?"_

* * *

Mukuro sighed, shaking her head. Junko simply fiddled with her hair, grinning with superiority.  _"Now_ do you see why I changed things up? Naive sack of crap he was, he was right about one thing. Despair is not true despair if it has order in the mix, y'know. So, I'm going by the poetic irony principle-giving them enough rope to hang themselves." She paused. "Hm. Maybe I should put some cable in the rec room, while I'm at it..."

Mukuro had no rebuttal to that. Junko, ever the emotionally-detatched one, simply grabbed a bag containing a wig and her clothes and tossed it at her sister haphazardly.

"Now get to work. Do exactly as I say, and things may very well go as we've planned." Mukuro simply bowed courteously as she walked, lingering feelings of dissatisfaction plaguing her. Junko, however, merely turned her seat around back to the cameras, already noticing one of the fifteen students - Kiyotaka, if she recalled correctly - being the first to come to.

"It's your time to shine, my little ursine," Junko smiled at the inactive robot. "It's time... to bring despair."

* * *

**(Music - Despair Syndrome -<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM>)**

Makoto Naegi, from before he was an adolescent, was something of a puritan about mind-altering substances. There was no tragic backstory to this, no slow slide into dramatic oblivion-well, there was, but those slides all had the benefit of being entirely fictional. A young, impressionable Makoto watched soap operas with his mother once, and from that moment on, he decided that hangovers were Not His Thing™.

The searing migraine that greeted him as he became aware of his recent unconsciousness did nothing to disabuse him of that notion.

 _Ooough..._ Slowly, Makoto became aware of other sensations than darkness and pain; even more pain, for one, but the pain caused by gradual recognition of his senses. Touch -  _ow._ Hearing -  _ow_. Sight... actually, sight wasn't causing pain. After a moment's thought, he decided to check something, moving his eyelids- _ow._ Yep. Close again.

Eventually, the pain stopped a bit enough for Makoto to start actually taking stock of his situation. For one, he was definitely sleeping (sleeping? Felt more like he was run over by a train) on a desk, and as far as he could tell, all his limbs were in place. For another, it wasn't his old desk - it was definitely made of high-end wood, his old desk (and most of the furniture at home) was genetic plastic and treated wood. 

For a third, he was still closing his eyes. Wincing in anticipation of the inevitable pain, he opened his eyes and forced himself to sit up.

"...where... Where am I?""

His voice sounded normal. That made this, if anything, more surreal.

The room was obviously a classroom of some kind, if a bit more posh than anything Makoto had ever been in before in an institution of learning.

Posh, and somewhat gaudy. The walls had a weird design to them that reminded him of a leopard or other big cat, and the chairs and desks seemed to be rich mahogany wood. On Makoto's desk was a crayon drawing marked "Orientation Guide" in childish lettering, something he found incredibly eerie.

Also, in place of windows were iron plates bolted to the walls with giant, industrial screws.

That should have probably been the first thing he noticed.

"What the heck is going on here!?" he said, growing unease chasing away his migraine. 

The room, naturally, did not answer. In any sense. 

After about a minute of nervousness trying to be panic, Makoto decided to rely on his ever-present optimism and pretend that everything was proceeding as planned, assuming that there was an innocent explanation for all this.  _Alright then. By the looks of the clock, the time is... about an hour after I lost consciousness at the school stairs. So, this is... Hope's Peak? They put me in a classroom while I regained consciousness?_

Of course, Makoto was idealistic and optimistic, not dumb. _Then... why am I not in the infirmary? I didn't feel sick, or overly nervous, or have a history of fainting. And that doesn't explain the plates. Maybe they're fixing the windows? But then they'd use black tarp to cover the holes. And where is everyone, anyway?_

Thus, the following of clues to make him less nervous only made it more obvious how strange everything was, and ended up turning the unease into outright dread. There was something  _very eerie_ happening, something very much outside of his normal experience-as stretched a definition as "normal experience" was for someone who won a lottery to be what the school board of Hope's Peak called Ultimate Lucky Student in their primary classes of high school students with near-superhuman abilities, realistically what he thought was a baseline comparison against the people who he had researched. Best to know the average before looking at the outliers; Makoto wasn't the best math student, but he learned enough about statistics to know you always wanted a base value.

**(Music Fades Out)**

_Actually, come to think of it, what was that called again? A control? ...Not the place to worry about that right now._

Thankfully, the answer to "where is everyone" found a partial answer when the door suddenly opened. Perhaps due to said Ultimate Luck, the surprised boy did not jump in the direction that would send him vaulting over his own seat and falling flat on his back.

**(Music - Beautiful Dead -<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WZb20NinCs>)**

"Yeah, we've got another one!" the sudden intruder called back to someone in the hall the now open door led into. "Guy, brown-haired, wears a hoodie!"

A muffled, somewhat authoritative voice called back, something that sounded like "That will make fifteen then! A full class has been found! Excellent work, report to..." The voice trailed off, the speaker apparently moving in an opposing direction.

The intruder, for his part, looked about the same age as Makoto. This was one of the few similarities they had. The boy was almost the definition of a punkish individual, with artificially red hair curled out into spikes, with an equally red goatee knit into a braid by some beads. The school uniform (not that Makoto was wearing one himself) also seemed to have been completely ignored by him, he having gone for a white coat with a popped collar over an intricately designed t-shirt with a pair of dark-green trousers that clung to his lithe body.

Still, he didn't at all seem like a threat. In truth after he turned back to Makoto, he gave a disarming grin that almost seemed out of place on his body. "Hey! Sorry about the rude awakening, but, uh... yeah, glad to see you're fine. Name's Leon Kuwata, your... _greeter,_ for the moment, I guess."

Makoto Naegi, already feeling relieved that at least two other people were in the building. "My name's Makoto Naegi. Er, what happened? All I remember is - "

"Blacking out at the school gate?" Kuwata said, looking pensive but unsurprised. "Yeah, you're not alone in that dude. Just to get this out of the way fast - only difference between me, Taka, and you is the amount of time you were conked out."

"Taka?" Makoto guessed that was the authoritative voice. "...he said something about fifteen other students, and a full class. Is he a teacher?"

Kuwata gave a slight chuckle. "Despite his best efforts, no. Fifteen, including himself. And pretty upset we're about to miss commencement."

Makoto blinked. "That's... a pretty odd priority."

"Welcome to the land of the Ultimate Moral Compass; dude's kind of a stickler about rules."

Oh yeah. The Ultimate Talents.

_Speaking of..._

"Actually, I did some research before I came here - you're **Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star** , right?"

Leon's smile shrank a bit. "...uhhh, technically," he said, sounding a little frustrated. "Nobody asked me, but... yeah. That's why I'm here."

...that wasn't what Makoto was expecting. In fact, he sounded kind of offended. The brown-haired boy backpedaled as fast as he could. "C-Crap, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you weren't proud of your Talent! You're not the only one, I just won a lottery and am now Ultimate Good Luck. Really, it's embarrassing that I don't - "

Whatever ramblings Makoto was about to carry on was interrupted by an assured Leon, who cheered up immensely from the apology alone. "Dude, really, it's cool! Seriously, it's not that there's anything wrong with having any kind of Talent, it's just..." Leon chewed his lip before looking at his watch. "...well, that's a story for another time. Taka's going to kill us if we don't tag along."

Makoto stood up, still confused. "Can I ask after we're done introducing ourselves? I don't mean to offend, but yeah, I'm guessing we're the only two students unhappy with our Talents."

Leon chuckled. "I'll bet. And yeah, it's not a big secret. Come on!"

And thus, a bit of his dread lifted, Makoto followed the other boy to the auditorium, eager to see exactly what his new classmates were like, what new friends he could make...

...completely unknowing of the very Mastermind who was looking from the hidden security room.

**(Music Stops)**

* * *

**(Music - Nightmare in a Locker -<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SuBfOizAE>)**

Junko simply smiled at the oddly adorable, monochrome bear-robot in her arms. She simply spun her seat around to glance at the deactivated android she currently had in her arms, almost as if looking for a switch.

"Well, there's no point in delaying your opportunity to shine any further, is there?" Junko grinned gleefully. "After all, the brightest stars are always the ones who collapse into a black hole..."

She flicked the switch on the bear, and it came to life. And with that, a small, automated giggled that serves as a telltale sign that all hell was going to break loose:

"Upupupupu..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter _is_ a bit short, but it's serving more as a proof of concept than anything else. Rest assured though: the next update _should_ (in theory) come shortly, so hold on to your butts!


	2. Prologue: School Life of Mutual Killing (Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto wakes up from a dream to find himself in a waking nightmare: trapped in Hope's Peak with no way out. Unfortunately, that nightmare will only get worse with the reveal of a certain bear...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, when I’m this invested in a project, you bet I’ll keep up with it! Now to continue with Sporting Hopefuls…

**(Music – Beautiful Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WZb20NinCs>)**

And thus there were fifteen.

Honestly, a small part of Makoto was worried he was _completely alone_ in this school. He obviously knew that was a silly worry given Leon stumbled upon him like that, but it _was_ still a justifiable concern given all the bolted-down windows and the like. But that was for another time; for now, he should introduce himself to the fourteen strangers that occupied the gym of this school.

“So,” A woman with lavender hair scrunched her face quietly. “There’s no obvious escape route, is there?”

A buff man with a pompadour shook his head. “Apparently not… God, this is so fuckin’ annoying…!”

A rather petite young woman twiddled her thumbs, clearly trying to calm everybody down. “U-Um, maybe we shouldn’t approach this so nervously? We should try to look around than assume there’s no way out…”

A blonde man with glasses simply scoffed at the short brunette. “Are you daft? We’ve explored every possible – and _available_ – avenue. Whoever brought us here, they don’t intend on freeing us anytime soon.”

Makoto felt his heart nearly jump out of his chest upon hearing _that._ Were they… really trapped here? What the hell was going on? Makoto chewed his lip nervously in response to that, but Leon simply waltzed up to his new friend and patted him on the back, trying his best to giving a disarming smile.

“Well, welcome to the gym, I guess.” Leon did his best to console Makoto. It was at that moment Leon cleared his throat and raised his volume so that everybody could hear him. “So, uhh… I suppose everybody could give it up for Makoto Naegi, the last person we’ve found awake?”

Everyone immediately turned to Makoto and gave a mixture of confused and icy stares. The reception was so cold Makoto was relieved he didn’t freeze over.

“W-What exactly is _he_ doing here…?” A petite brunette – not like one shorter than her – pushed up her glasses as she glared at Makoto. “C-Could it be he’s the one who has us trapped here…?”

A woman with pinkish-blonde twintails groaned audibly. “If that was the case, certainly he would’ve _taken_ steps towards concealing his identity, right?”

A woman with blueish-black hair cleared her throat. “Maybe we shouldn’t make assumptions just yet. Besides, I don’t think he’s necessarily a bad guy…”

“Can you truly be so certain of that?” A woman in gothic apparel gave a small smile at Makoto. “We _are_ prisoners here after all. Maybe – and just maybe – he may know more than he’s letting on?”

 _Somebody_ had to defuse distrust, and fittingly, it was somebody who looked an awful lot like a hall monitor. “I-In any case, it’s inexcusable that you appeared this late!” The passionate, tall man in a white suit proceeded to point his finger at Makoto. “We we’re supposed to meet as early as 11 AM, and you’re _ten minutes late!”_

Makoto noticed a few other people with the group of students. One was an absolute _giant_ whom Makoto had a hard time discerning her gender at first, accompanied by an… _endowed_ dark-skinned brunette, an equally-dark skin man who looks surprisingly adult-like, and a rather obese man that had a funny appearance to him. Were _these_ all ultimate students as well…?

“Well, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t introduce ourselves to him!” The buxom dark-skinned girl finally spoke up. “Besides, he doesn’t look that particularly bad of a guy!”

“And you’re _actually_ trying to analyze people based on your own standards?” The blonde man in glasses growled. “How stupid can you be to be so open?”

Leon, having known Makoto for the longest (which doesn’t obviously mean too much, but still), proceeded to speak up in his stead. “Well, I vouch for him. And you _do_ remember why we’ve been called here, right? The letter?”

Makoto blinked. “Huh? Letter?”

Leon didn’t answer, as he was continuing his response. In the corner of his eye, Leon pointed to a pocket in Makoto’s hoodie, which he reached for… only to obtain a letter.

“H-Huh?” Makoto blinked. “What’s this…?”

He opened the crumpled piece of paper.

**_Show up at 11:30 for your opening ceremony!_ **

**_~Your Headmaster_ **

Makoto felt his stomach twist a bit. Was this some kind of sick joke? The doors were barred and the windows were sealed, so… what does he possibly have to gain here? Regardless, his focusing on the letter made him miss out on most of Leon’s defense, as when he tuned in at last, the lavender-haired girl spoke up.

“Let’s trust him, then.” The woman nodded. “We’re _all_ apparently prisoners here, in any case.”

 _Prisoners…_ Makoto gritted his teeth, and for one reason or another, Leon could tell exactly what he was thinking. Almost out of instinctual kindness, Leon patted Makoto’s back again and he relaxed.

“I know what you’re thinking; we seem to be trapped here… but we’ll find a way out, alright?”

Makoto smiled half-heartedly at Leon’s comfort; how much of it was repaying the favor for Makoto’s social fumble earlier and how much of it _wasn’t_ what seemed to be a good person’s sense of friendliness remained to be seen, as the introductions went under way.

“Well, I guess I’ll be the first to introduce myself.” The giant woman finally spoke. “My name is **Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist.** I don’t wish to hurt anybody here unless necessary, so… please, I hope it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The lavender-haired girl spoke up next. “My name is **Kyoko Kirigiri…** and that’s all I want to say on the matter.”

The bespectacled blondie spoke up, still in a state of perpetual sneering. “… **Byakuya Togami, Ultimate Affluent Progeny.** Stay out of my way if you know what’s good for your filthy selves.”

The buxom dark-skinned girl spoke up too. “Right! I’m **Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro!** I genuinely hope we get along – oh, and feel free to call me ‘Hina’ if you want!”

The tub of lard spoke up next. “Hehehehe… the name’s **Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator!** If you ever need some of the good stuff, feel free to ask!”

The strangely adult-like dark-skinned man spoke up, who was now grinning. “The name’s **Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant!** Pleasure to meet you, I guess... and ‘Hiro’ is fine, by the way.”

Following up was a rather bunny-like brunette who was shorter than… well, everybody else. “M-My name’s **Chihiro Fujisaki, Ultimate Programmer.** I-I really do hope we get along…”

The gothic lolita spoke up next, all with a small smirk. **“…Celestia Ludenberg, Ultimate Gambler.** Charmed, I’m sure.”

The man in white spoke next, still as passionate as ever. “My name, of course, is **Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Ultimate Moral Compass!** Please, call me “Taka” for short!”

The bulky man in a pompadour was next. **“…Mondo Owada, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.** Hi, I guess.”

The pinkish-blonde woman spoke next. “Heyoo! My name’s **Junko Enoshima, Ultimate Fashionista!** Pleased to make your heckin’ acquaintance!”

The _other_ brunette woman spoke up. **“T-Toko Fukawa, Ultimate Writing Prodigy.** Y-You better not try to p-pull anything shady w-with me…”

And lastly, the blueish-black haired girl spoke up next. “And I’m last, huh? Right; I’m **Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation!** Super nice to meet you!”

…that was everybody, or at least Makoto thought. He turned to Leon, who was smiling a bit – a little at Sayaka, whom she smiled back. “And for repetition’s sake, the name’s **Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star…** I guess. Eh.”

 _Given the fact bringing up his talent soured his mood, I wonder if I should steer clear of that topic…_ Makoto shook his head before being the absolute last to speak up. “And I’m… well, I’m not as special as you guys are. I’m **Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student.** I won a scholarship through the lottery, and… all things consider, I’m honestly pretty normal.”

‘Normal.’ Was there ever a more appropriate time where he hated the term ‘normal’? He _hated_ how – amidst all the teenaged super-geniuses currently trapped here with him – he was the one who happened to not get where he is now not through skill, but through sheer dumb luck. He was average in just about everywhere else, and frankly, Makoto _really_ hated that. He was almost relieved that Leon was roughly the same level of emotional maturity he was, as that means he won’t be a _complete_ fish out of water compared to all these alumni. But even so, the more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. Makoto swiftly shooed these thoughts out of his head.

“Well, we’ve seem to have gotten reintroductions out of the way.” One of the first things Makoto noticed about Kyoko was how _calm_ she was. Granted, she gave a tiny, warm smile as if to indicate a miniscule proportion of her approval. “Taka, care to check the time for us? The letter said we should wait until 11.”

Taka did so, with a surprising haste as well. Makoto internally snarked that if somebody of high status asked him to jump, Taka would say “how high?”. Regardless, the white-clad student pointed to his wristwatch with a beaming smile. “It is officially 11:17, Miss Kyoko.”

Makoto doesn’t _quite_ know how often the lavender girl puts up her mask, but she broke into a faint giggle upon seeing him state the time with more than a little glee. Makoto would’ve smiled as well, but she quickly recomposed herself. “Nice work. Well… I suppose there’s nothing wrong with getting to know each other. We’re here, but no sign of our headmaster yet… whoever he is.”

“I swear to fuck, this better be some kinda prank,” Mondo cracked his knuckles as if to demonstrate he isn’t joking. “If it isn’t, I’m pounding his ass him for locking us here.”

Hiro simply shook his head. “Well if it _is_ a prank, it’s in pretty crappy taste. I’m gonna see if there aren’t any cold ones around.”

“Wha – “ Aoi wasn’t usually one to judge about what people consume (she herself isn’t exactly the model of healthy eating habits), but she objected _there._ “WAIT A MINUTE! You’re a teen, like us! Why do you think you can just – “

“I’m twenty-one, six or four years older than the rest of you!” Hiro huffed defensively before breaking into an embarrassed blush. “I, uh, have been held back a few times. I’m a freshman, so… yeah.”

“You really must be mentally retarded as to be a 21-year old freshman.” Byakuya did _not_ hold back his verbal punches, and some of the more polite members flinched upon the dropping of that word. “I’ll be by myself. I have no use for rabble like you.”

And like that, he was off. Makoto, meanwhile, became acquainted with the first of _man_ of Leon’s exasperated sighs and utterings, simply rolling his eyes. Thankfully, everyone followed Hiro and Aoi’s example and they were conversing with each other – the exceptions to this rule were Byakuya, Kyoko and Toko, who… well, they did their own thing, more or less.

…actually, no, Toko’s following Byakuya. For… some reason.

“Ugh, what a friggin’ jerk… I’m really sorry you had to be introduced to the asshole like that.” Leon gave a small smile. “I know a few people who have high-functioning disabilities, so if ya want me to sock him for being such a prick, gimme a holler, and – “

“Err, I don’t think I want to risk a lawsuit. And it’s fine.” Makoto gave a sheepish smile towards his acquaintance. “Though he _did_ say he’s the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, right? Part of the… Togami Empire?” Despite being the one asking the question here, Makoto’s voice trailed off slightly into awe that he’s in the presence of capitalist royalty.

“Multi-billion corporation? Yep, more or less.” Leon shook his head. “Just because he’s one of the 1% doesn’t mean he has to be a flippin’ _cunt_ about it.” Leon blushed for a moment before laughing awkwardly. “Err, sorry… I should watch my language. But… well, yeah. Honestly, only reason why I’m here to begin with is ‘cuz I’m _that_ good as baseball! Pffft, not like it’s done me good or anything…”

Makoto blinked. “Wait, you don’t like baseball? Why is that?”

Leon, for reasons Makoto hasn’t identified as unironic versus comedic, lit up with passion. _“BECAUSE BASEBALL IS THE FRIGGIN’ DEVIL, DUDE!_ I’m through rolling around in the mud with that crap! Besides, well, I…” Leon turned a deep shade of red, which was… quite odd to Makoto. “Um, bro, you promise not to laugh?”

Makoto smiled; Leon cheered him up with a few back pats, so he did the same to return the favor. “Leon… do I _really_ look like the kind of guy who’d laugh at you for what you love?”

Leon may not be the best student academically, but he was always great at social situations. Part of it was formed due to personal reasons, but he was always an emotionally-intelligent person. He simply looked at Makoto’s face, and… well, he chuckled. But Makoto wasn’t daft either, especially when Leon’s next statement sounded genuinely _comforted._

“Nah, you’re right. We normies gotta stick up for each other, dude!” Makoto chuckled at the term “normie” being used; not often you see that term not used in the internet. “Well… I guess my overall goal in life is that I wanna be the **Ultimate Musician.** I mean, think about it: rock’s freaking awesome, y’know? I could spend my life rolling around in dirt, but what if I, like, become a rock star from a retired baseball player?! Or hell, if I do both?! I _really_ don’t wanna let all that giftedness I have in baseball define me, so I gotta _reach for the stars!”_

Makoto giggled softly at how _cheerful_ he sounded. He was a bit cocky, but Makoto could tell immediately he meant well. His enthusiasm was really endearing too. “That’s great to hear! But… why do you want to get rid of your talent so soon?”

Leon’s smile turned up on its head. “Umm… what?”

Makoto was a little sad Leon’s giddiness evaporated like that, but now he had to ask. “I mean, baseball’s a great talent, and from what I’ve been hearing from you, you were born with it! Me, I just happened to be in the right place in the right time… my talent isn’t nearly as awesome as yours, to be honest. Is there any specific reason you don’t want it with you?”

Leon paused for a moment, before biting his lip. Awkwardly, the 17-something third-year rubbed the back of his head and sighed. “Uhh… yeah, kinda. But I don’t feel comfortable sharing it with you. That’s fine, right?”

Makoto smiled in reply. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it, Leon. Everyone has something they don’t feel comfortable with sharing, and that’s normal. Just know that when you ever feel like you can tell me, I’ll listen. I promise.”

Leon looked at Makoto and soon enough, he was smiling again. “Dude… you’re really cool, you know that?”

“Oh, come on, not as cool as you!” Makoto grinned. “Really… all I have is sheer, dumb luck. Nothing much to it…”

Leon paused for a moment, before extending a handshake. Even in a society like Japan, where bowing was considered the more formal way of greeting somebody non-verbally, Makoto nonetheless gave Leon’s hand a firm shake. “It’s… really nice to meet you, man. Seriously, this is gonna be the beginning of something awesome!”

Makoto smiled to himself; he just can’t help but find his enthusiasm endearing.

**(Music Stops)**

_*bing-bong-ding-dong!*_

“Eh?” Aoi was busy talking to Sakura (whom she was enjoying her company significantly) only to hear the toll of the school bell. And then, the PA flare to life.

_“We hope you enjoyed getting to know each other, upupu. Doubt those happy moments are gonna last much longer than that!”_

**(Music – Momomomonokuma! –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlfyPWkDIHw>)**

Silence. A dour, almost _dreading_ kind of silence came over the fifteen students as the watched the monitor anxiously. But before long, a light little tremor occurred, a rumble, and then something unbelievable sprung into place on podium.

It was a bear.

Well, it wasn’t _any_ kind of bear, really. This bear happened to have a dual black-and-white finish, and it looked creepy as all high hell: the white half happened to look as normal as any other bear, while the other half was locked into a glowing red eye and sadistic, toothy grin. Regardless, the dissonance in design was utterly unsettling, perhaps more so when this animatronic abomination spoke his first few introductory words:

“I! Am! Monokuma! And I am your headmaster for your school life!”

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk>)**

It took several second seconds for most of the students to officially process what the _hell_ they were seeing with their own two eyes. Some of the more rationally-minded students quietly wondered whether or not this wasn’t some kind of seriously fucked up joke, for a freaking _bear_ to sit in front of them without so much of a care towards the abnormality of their nature. In any case though, Hifumi was the first to react in what would later be characterized in his own useless way:

 _“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”_ Hifumi’s squeal was _thoroughly_ unmanly. _“T-THE BEAR! IT TAAAAAAAAAALKS!”_

“Calm down you blathering fool!” Byakuya cussed from across the room. Kyoko cleared her throat in annoyance at this sight.

“Well? What _were_ you expecting? Hm?” Monokuma sounded faux-offended at Hifumi’s panic, but he quietly disregarded it. “Anyway, _and as I was saying,_ I am Monokuma, the headmaster of your school career! It is so _beary_ nice to meet you, upupupu!”

Chihiro chewed her lip for a second. “I really get the feeling that that joke’s been done already…” Meanwhile, Aoi and Hiro were snickering in unison to one another.

“Much less it being embarrassingly low-brow.” Celeste’s unflappable poker fact – befitting of the Ultimate Gambler – never quite wavered. “In any case, is there a reason why you’ve called us here?”

Toko, meanwhile, continued glaring. “W-What do you want, you f-filthy thing?! _Are you why the exit’s been bolted?!”_

Monokuma – for as much as a robot can – gave a cheeky smile. “Yeppers! I’ve bolted every possibly exit there is… oh, but aren’t _you_ one to call me a “filthy thing,” you pig-pen?!”

As Toko reacted in horror (and as Leon and Mondo gave a shameless chuckle), Kyoko was the first to ask. “So given how freely you admit us being trapped here… I’m assuming you have no intention to let us out anytime soon?”

The mood in the room took a dip for certain. Unfortunately, Monokuma made it even _worse._

“Nope! Not _ever,_ I daresay!” Monokuma broke into a little dance and cackle. “Y’see, the entire world out there is a dangerous place: full of thieves, criminals and… _taxes.”_ Monokuma broke into an exaggerated shudder to exemplify his point. “Would you really like taxes to be part of your world? Do you really want _SOCIALISM to be part of your world, you commies?!_ Well in any case, as your headmaster, it is my goal to keep you all safe from the outside world…”

Monokuma’s pseudo-joking tone became darker. _“…forever.”_

“Wh… _forever?!”_ Sayaka – who remained quiet until now – spoke up. “Hold on just a second, what do you _mean_ forever?! We have families and friends on the outside world, and you’re telling us we should just lie down and – “

“I’m sorry, I cannot hear you over the sound of your _e-Handbooks being distributed!~”_ Monokuma gave a deviant little cackle before clapping his metal paws thunderously, to which a rain of handbooks promptly dropped from the sky. Whoever wasn’t fast enough to catch it (Leon, Aoi, Mondo, Sayaka, Sakura and Junko) either failed to do so for varying reasons (Kyoko, Byakuya, Taka) or let it just hit them on their poor heads. (Chihiro, Hiro, Hifumi, Toko… and Makoto).

Ouch. Those poor five were gonna rail from that.

“Oooogh…” As Chihiro began blubbering inelegantly from behind the scene (as Sayaka went on to comfort her), Makoto took a glimpse at the e-Handbook and tried booting it. Much to his surprise, it didn’t seem to suffer so much as a dent, as it booted up his name effortlessly:

** "Makoto Naegi" **

…and with it, a wide variety of features. Makoto barely had enough time to explore it, as Monokuma began talking again.

“Since you will all be talking a quasi-permanent residence here in Hope’s Peak Academy, I figure you should all get acquainted with the rules I’ve laid in place for all of you sorry sacks of flesh!” Monokuma cackled yet again. “Upupupu… you better read it, or you bet you’ll be punished!”

“Frankly, I’m in awe a drop from that height hasn’t cracked the screen…” Sakura sounded more impressed in that comment than it should’ve been. “What material is it made of?”

“Yeah, I’m wondering myself…” Hiro awkwardly clung to his bruised head. “I haven’t felt that much brain damage since I’ve been dropped on my head as a kid…”

“That would certainly explain why you’re such an incompetent plebeian, then.” Byakuya gave a small little scoff in that statement.

“Well, it’s made from all kinds of super-tough materials! Not even a thousand bullets or even a freakin’ _nuke_ will crack the damn thing, so I assure you it’s _unbreakable!”_ Monokuma paused. “Well, in theory anyway. In any case, just look at the goddamn rules!”

Makoto bit his lip for a second. _This… was a prank, right? This has to be some kind of_ seriously _messed up prank. I swear, it better be…_ As much as Makoto would want to _say_ it’s a prank, right now its in far too bad of taste to consider it such. Makoto was now less frightened and confused so much as he was _pissed,_ and it’s rare to get somebody as nice as him in such a sour mood. Regardless, Makoto wordlessly booted up his e-Handbook again and navigated to the Rules app, and…

…well, lets just say one of the rules were a major shock.

**(Music Fades Out Slowly)**

* * *

  **Rule #1:**  Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

 **Rule #2:**  "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

 **Rule #3:**  Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

 **Rule #4:**  With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

 **Rule #5:**  Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.

 **Rule #6:**  Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

 **Rule #7:**  Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.

* * *

…and the “frightened and confused” part of him came back to him in a flash with the second reveal.

“Y-You…” Makoto whispered in shock. “You have to – “

Kyoko cut him off; apparently, she was completely and utterly unflappable in her emotions. “…I see. So that’s why you said “quasi-permanent residence”, right? That this is the way to escape?”

“Bingo, cheerio!” Monokuma giggled. “Upupu… if you really wanna escape, you gotta **kill somebody.”**

It was almost then that Makoto nearly felt his chest cave in.

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Extracurricular Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0JuVXTcUw>)**

_We… we have to kill somebody?_ No. No, now this was just a bad dream. Yeah, he was going to wake up in his bed in a second and then he’d be –

 _“HOLD THE PHONE!”_ Leon shouted to nobody in particular. “You’re tellin’ us we gotta kill each other to escape?! What kinda fucked up rule _is_ that?!”

“Yeah, you fuckin’ bear!” Mondo cussed out. “This better be some kinda joke, or I swear to _fuck,_ I’m gonna pound you into – “

“…stop.” Byakuya, apparently, wasn’t scared in the least. In fact, Makoto could’ve swore he had a small little smile on his face. “So you’re telling us we cannot escape… unless we kill somebody and get away with the murder?”

“W-What…?” Chihiro felt tears swell up in her eyes. “S-Somebody has to die so we can… e-escape…?”

“W-Well, you’re _not gonna make us do something that sick!”_ Aoi called out, clenching her fists. “We’re _never_ gonna kill one of our fellow students, no matter _what_ you make us do!”

“Miss Asahina is correct!” Taka pointed his finger at Monokuma defiantly. “No matter what you have in store, it’ll _never_ make us lose our way! “

“Oh, _really?”_ Monokuma gave forth a smarmy little grin in that moment. “You say that there’s no way for me to get you sorry saps to kill each other…? Are you _reaaaaaaaaaaaally_ so certain about that? Upupupu…”

“We are!” Taka was ever the more defiant. “Nothing you do will make us – “

 _“Blathering idiot!_ Are you actually basing other’s standards on yours?” Byakuya spat to Taka. “Do you realize how foolish of a concept that is to have?”

“W-Well…” Taka bit his lip before recomposing himself. “Even so, there’s no way we’ll – “

“Awww, shut up already! Platitudes like “it’s gonna be okay!” or “we won’t fail!” are _soooooooo_ overrated!” Monokuma would roll his eyes in that moment. “Eh, what the hell. In any such case, however, feel free to try to kill each other in any way you see fit, with the caveat that you _must_ get away with the murder!”

Makoto felt himself go pale. In the corner of his eye, Leon did too, but he regained himself enough to pat his closest acquaintance on the back. Makoto dumbly nodded at Monokuma finished his orientation.

“Well, that’s all folks!” Monokuma cackled. “Either you stay here for all of eternity… or you decide it’s now or ever to kill somebody and _blow_ this popsicle stand! Good luck kiddos, and _have fun! BWAHAHAHAHA!”_

And just like that, he was gone as soon as he left.

**(Music Fades Out)**

_“DAMNIT! THAT MOTHERFUCKER!”_ Mondo cussed to nobody in particular, gripping his hand. “I swear to _shit_ if I see that asshole again, I’m gonna _tear him limb from limb!”_

“C-Can you please refrain from using some crude language!” Taka lashed out at the delinquent. “Cursing is most definitely _not_ welcome in a school environment, much less a threat of killing anybody!”

“I-I agree with that…” Chihiro sniffled her own tears. “I-I don’t wanna kill anybody…”

Despite both teenager’s attempts to placate the distrust going on, it soon proved insurmountable for even the two nicest members of the class. And before long, everyone was _staring_ at each other.

Nothing more. Just staring. And _that’s_ when Makoto felt nothing short of utterly terrified.

**(Music – New World Order –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5HuHnhHxXY>)**

He didn’t even know what everybody else was planning from here onwards. What could they possibly be thinking to eye each other individually like that? We’re they planning some kind of mutual murder or something of the like? And… was Makoto going to be next?

He felt a shiver run up and down his spine as the fifteen students sat there in quiet with each other. It would be around then Makoto realized he would have to pick alliances, and _fast…_ otherwise, he could hardly see himself be long for this world.

…no. Makoto had to survive. He _will_ survive here. He got into this hellhole by what is apparently bad luck. No way he’s going to let said bad luck ruin the one thing he has: his own life.

………

……

…

**_Prologue: School Life of Mutual Killing - END_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 15_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hohohohohoho… I’ve been waiting for something like this for a loooooooooooong time.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Now before I sign off, some things deserve to be clarified in this story. To wit, in terms of the metaphorical “gameplay” here:
> 
> \- Debate Scrums, Rebuttal Showdowns, Mass Panic Debates and the like will play a role, as will Non-Stop Debates. I’m going to try to incorporate these “minigames” into a format seamless with a story, so you don’t have to worry about the actual meat of the narrative being bogged down by “stats” or whatever garbage like that. It’s really not unlike Fall With The Petals’ game-lite format.  
> \- There will be brand new cases, survivors and deaths. Leon’s one of the confirmed ones, but I’m not commenting on who lives and who dies otherwise.  
> \- If you ever want to give feedback, feel free to do so in the comments below! Nothing I like more than hearing feedback, after all.
> 
> With that said, have a happy, despairing day! See you next time!


	3. Chapter 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds (Daily Life; Part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of fifteen Ultimates are trapped in Hope's Peak Academy finally winds down. Meanwhile, after a particular incident, Makoto gets himself reacquainted with an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we’re back, with the first actual chapter of the quote-on-quote “game”!
> 
> Nothing much needs to be said here. We’ll be experiencing our first major canon breaks here, so… well, yeah. Either way, please enjoy the show.

**_CHAPTER 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds – DAILY LIFE_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 15_ **

* * *

**(Music – Nightmare in a Locker –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SuBfOizAE>)**

_Day 1 – Gym – 12:00 PM_

Everyone just stood there.

They didn’t do anything, really. They just stood and stared at each other. Almost as if contemplating something. Seeing all the gazes each of the students were chillingly giving each other almost sent a shiver down Makoto’s spine, coldly reminding him that he was in a life and death scenario here, that any moment… his life could be taken away.

The more Makoto thought of that possibility to himself, the more a hybrid of despair and determination swept over him. He wasn’t going to die here, no matter what. He wouldn’t let it. Makoto’s resolution was interrupted by the ever-peaceable (as much as first impressions indicated somebody as such) Chihiro speaking up to defuse tensions.

**(Music – Beautiful Lie –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rdSYNKNagU>)**

“W-Well, um…” Chihiro spoke in a nervous tone, almost fearful for her own life. “Maybe we should head over to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat…?”

Barring Makoto, Leon, Kyoko, Aoi and a few others, Chihiro’s attempt to diffuse trust has been met with a cold glare, causing the poor girl to cringe.

“Seriously?! You’re telling me we’re just gonna up and _fuckin’ ignore that?!”_ Mondo felt rage subside over him, something that served as a foreboding prelude to his own fears. “We’re being told to _kill_ by that goddamn little shit! How in the absolute _hell_ are we just gonna take that down without one of us tryin’ to kill somebody?!”

“That’s the thing! We don’t.” Taka nodded resolutely. “As long as we stick to our morals, nothing shall stand between our way to an escape!”

Mondo scoffed. “Oh, _sure,_ let’s listen to the goody-goody boyscout over here.”

Taka pointed an accusatory finger in retaliation. _“I beg your pardon?!_ Better to _have_ morals or a code of conduct in a scenario without pre-established rules!”

_“The fuck you tryin’ to say, you scrawny little sh – “_

_“…enough.”_ Sakura huffed aggravatedly. “Do you _want_ me to personally – and physically – intervene between both of your quarreling?”

That shut both of the polar opposites up really quick.

Celestia – who has up to this point remained silent for a reasonably long period of time – interjected. “Well, I personally agree with Chihiro-chan’s point here. Maybe we should take our time to regain our bearings before deciding on what to do next.” She then broke into a small, mischievously little smirk. “That, and I _am_ parched for some royal milk tea, though I require _one of you_ to serve as the preparer!”

“Make your own damn tea.” Byakuya’s response – while blunt as expected of him – was in a dark little hiss.

“Honestly… yeah, I’m down for something to nibble on myself.” Aoi’s worries turned into spontaneous cheer. “Ooh, I wonder if they have donuts in the stock!”

Sakura chuckled quietly in reply to that; for one reason or another, she seemed to be getting along quite well with Aoi. “I see. So I take it you’re a fan of food? I’m more of a protein coffee myself.”

“Mmhmm! Food’s _always_ great to be able to shrug off your worries!” Makoto could almost _see_ the stars in Aoi’s eyes. “Why, there was this one time where I ended up – “

“Um, no offense Aoi, but… is this really the right time?” Despite the shift in the mood for the better, Sayaka was still quiet; Makoto picked up on her nervously biting her lip. “I mean, a goal in mind is that we gotta find _some_ means to escape, right? So… shouldn’t we do that first?”

“I understand your concerns Sayaka, but a fresh body enables a fresh mind.” In the corners of her lips, Makoto swore she saw a brief smile out of Kyoko. “Besides, it seems as good of a time as any to do so. After all, Monokuma _did_ say you would have you get _away_ with a murder, which implies – “

“…that there’s gonna be an investigation? Bingo, cheerio!”

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk>)**

Much to the shock (and aggravation) of everybody present, it would be then and there Monokuma remerged on the podium, giving what would soon become his distinctive cackle. “Bwahahaha! Aren’t _you_ a smart little cookie, Kyoko! Honestly, I was planning on revealing it earlier, but that just goes to prove that… actually, y’know what? It’d be too early for me to say it.”

Kyoko muttered some curses under her breath. Hiro, meanwhile, cocked an eyebrow. “Uhh, is there any reason why ya called us again, or…?”

“Oh, just to edit the rules!” Monokuma grinned sheepishly. “Sorry I forgot to add those edits when I should have, hehe.”

And with that, Monokuma pressed a button he held in his hands, and each of the student’s e-Handbooks flickered… before returning in full bloom. “Alrighty gang, you _should_ have the updates rules officially! Check ‘em out!”

And Makoto did.

* * *

 **Rule #1:**  Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

 **Rule #2:**  "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

 **Rule #3:**  Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

 **Rule #4:**  With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

 **Rule #5:**  Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.

 **Rule #6:**  Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

 **Rule #7:** Complete destruction of school property is forbidden, but tampering with it and/or damaging it is allowed in the case of fueling creative murders. This rule is not applicable to any of the aforementioned mechanics of Rule #5.

 **Rule #8:** Regularly scheduled meal intervals occur between 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM (Breakfast), 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM (Lunch) and 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (Dinner), with an opportunity at 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM for Dessert. Pre-cooked food shall be serviced to the students during this time; eating beyond these allotted intervals are strictly prohibited.

 **Rule #9:**  Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.

* * *

_Day 1 – Gym – 12:09 PM_

“Wha…?” Hifumi, who’s strangely remained silent up to this point, devolved into a pout. “Y-You mean we can’t eat any time we want…?”

Aoi, likewise, pouted too. “I feel you…”

“I’m afraid that isn’t important right now.” Kyoko glanced at both students before turning to Monokuma. “So you’re telling me that the destruction of school property is disallowed… but damaging it for the sake of murders is?”

“Yep!” Monokuma cackled; he was clearly enjoying himself. “Hey, your Headmaster believes in giving you maximum credit for ingenuity! Upupu!”

It was around that moment things went to Hell for one specific reason: Mondo had more than enough of this bullshit.

**(Music – Finding Peace Party –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One782vERzc>)**

_“THAT DOES IT!”_ Mondo roared, motioning his way to Monokuma in pure ire. “You’ve got some fuckin’ nerve to trap us here and pretend you’re doin’ us good, you little fuck! _I’ll rip you to shreds!”_

As Mondo motioned closer to Monokuma, the bear tried reasoning with the furious biker. “Hey, hold on a minute! Can we just – _GYAAAH?!”_

Mondo gripped Monokuma by the ear, a look of pure _fury_ on his face. Makoto instinctively cried out, trying to calm his fellow student down. _“What are you doing, Mondo?!_ You gotta leave him alone, or you’ll – “

 _“Or I’ll fuckin’ what?!_ He’s _the reason we’re all trapped in here, the little shit!”_ Mondo growled. _“If I tear him to bits, there’s no reason why we can’t just leave here and – “_

**(Music Stops)**

_*beep… beep… beep…*_

“H-Huh?” Mondo blinked. “What’s that beepin’ noise?”

_*beep-beep-beep-beep-beep*_

Junko reacted quite quickly. _“IT’S A BOMB! TOSS IT!”_

Mondo grimaced. “A _bomb?!”_

_*beepbeepbeepbeepbebebebebebeBEEEEEEEEEEEEP-*_

Thankfully, Mondo reacted in time. As he tossed the bear into the sky, a massive _explosion_ ruptured the air, sending shockwaves throughout the gym. All fifteen students looked on in shock at the detonation, before the PA flared to life once more.

 _“Let_ that _serve as a warning of what I’m capable of! Next time, I’m not gonna be as gentle! BWAHAHAHAHA!”_

And just like that, the PA died down, leaving a silent fifteen students in the wake of all this.

**(Music – Beautiful Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WZb20NinCs>)**

“You…” Junko glared. _“You motherfucker! You coulda gotten us KILLED!”_

“That was an inexcusably rash move on your part!” Taka lectured. “You just _can’t_ take that risk, no matter what.”

Makoto felt his courage swell up within him. “Yeah… I don’t think that was the brightest move, Mondo…”

Mondo paused. Then he turned and _glared_ at Makoto, his eyes shaped like daggers.

“You no-good… _and what do_ you _have to say on the matter?!”_ For one reason or another, Mondo’s taking out his anger on Makoto… and it shows. _“FOR ALL WE KNOW,_ YOU’RE _THE SON-OF-A-BITCH FOR WHY WE’RE TRAPPED HERE!”_

 _“Mondo, NO!”_ Too late. The biker’s fist raised to punch Makoto in the face… only for, whatever reason, him not feeling anything.

Rather, it was _Leon_ who would be sent flying, being squarely knocked on his posterior, utterly dazed by the sudden hook. And soon, the light from his eyes fluttered, and he was out, blood trickling from his mouth.

Needless to say, nobody took to that too well.

 _“LEON, NO!”_ Makoto cried out, rushing over to the limp student. Sakura and Aoi quickly hurried over with him.

“N-No, I…” Aoi chewed her lip. “Is he…?!”

“He’s just unconscious, miraculously.” Sakura could say so with confident due to her limited medical experience; it was part of the deal of being the Ultimate Martial Artist. Surely though, her glare turned to Mondo, as did everybody else’s. _“Damn you!_ Why did you do that?!”

“I-I…” Mondo stuttered for a second. “Y’see, I – “

“There’s _no excuse for what you tried to do!”_ Taka howled in fury. “Given the circumstances, there’s _nothing_ restraining your anger!”

“F-For once, I gotta agree… t-there’s no guarantee he won’t try something…” Toko bit her lip suddenly. “T-Though keep me away from any potential blood, please…”

As everyone went on to lecture Mondo – harshly, I daresay, Makoto quickly turned to the unconscious Leon, who now had Sayaka and Kyoko hovering over him.

“C-Crap, what do we do?!” Sayaka cried out. “I mean… where do we go from here…?! I – “

“Calm down.” Kyoko was analytical, before promptly slinging the unconscious Leon over her shoulders before gently laying him. “Naegi, Maizono… can you bring Leon to his room?”

“Yeah, I can definitely do… wait, wha?” Makoto blinked dumbly. “There’s rooms? But… how do we get them?”

Kyoko wordlessly reached into her pocked and brought forth a key of some sort. “As it stands, we all have a key in our pockets… that apparently open up our dorm rooms. I advise you bring Leon to his, just to ascertain he’ll be okay.”

Kyoko, by proxy, glared at Mondo, who was already receiving and earful from the other students. “I’ll be sure to… well, let’s just say I’ll _lecture_ him. In the meantime, can you bring Leon to his room? Hopefully we’ll figure out what to do by then.”

Makoto glanced at Sayaka who wordlessly nodded back. Without further ado, they slung the unconscious Leon into each of their shoulders and began moving him to his room.

* * *

**(Music – Cool Morning –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXxY1nNLUBQ>)**

_Day 1 – Leon’s Room  – 12:36 PM_

“Ugh… that took more work than I’d want it to…”

Makoto shook his head and groaned audibly, wordlessly clutching his head. “Sayaka, you going to be okay? That must’ve been a lot of work.”

Sayaka, wordlessly, smiled. “I’m fine, thank you. But… I’m more worried about you to be honest. You nearly were punched by Mondo back there… and you were worried about Leon, right?”

“H-Huh?” Makoto did _not_ expect knowledge of his friendship with Leon being common knowledge yet. “How did you know what I was thinking…?”

Sayaka grew serious. “I’m psychic.”

_“W-What?!”_

“Kidding! I’m just kidding.” Sayaka giggled. “Really though, people say I have really good intuition… which I do, honestly. I can definitely figure things out pretty quick, heehee.”

“O-Oh, I see…” Makoto chewed on his lip before continuing. “But… aren’t you an idol? Doesn’t your talents revolve mostly along singing or acting?”

Sayaka gave something of a wry smile. “Honestly, being an idol isn’t that fun, honestly. It may _seem_ like a blast to go through, but there’s a ton of work beyond looking pretty and pure in front of a massive audience. One off-the-book record was when preparing a concert, the lights broke down and we had to fix it due to staff constraints. Lucky for them I knew a thing or two about mechanics; not only did I succeed at fixing them, I even made them strobe!”

Makoto grinned upon seeing the stars of pride in Sayaka’s eyes; he couldn’t help but gleam himself. “Wow, that’s incredible! How did you even manage to _learn_ how to do so well with mechanics?”

Sayaka blushed, before giggling; she sat on the bed where Leon was out cold. “Well early in my idol career, during a meet-and-greet, we had a lottery to determine who got to spend a day with me. I was originally gonna choose from the previous raffle, but a last minute decision had us shake it up pretty early… and what do you know, the winner was some pink-haired boy in a mechanic’s suit! He offered to teach me how to work with hardware, and while I was shocked, I thought to myself “why not?”

Sayaka giggled once more. “Apparently, he was none other than the **Ultimate Mechanic!** With my intuition and his tutoring, I’ve become… well, let’s just say I’ve become _really_ good at it. It’s certainly a lot more easier than singing in my opinion!”

Makoto chuckled. “Then… do you want to do anything other than mechanics?”

“Honestly? No.” Sayaka’s smile became a lot more sober and… well, almost sad. “I’ve clawed my way to get to where I am, and… my idol group’s really the only group I could call family. Arguably more so than my own family. Which is why I… I can’t be stuck here…”

Sayaka sighed, shaking her head; her smile was now an outright frown. “I, um… was raised solely by my father; my mother died when I was little. I never really got time to hang out with my dad, so seeing all those idol shows on TV… well, it clicked _something_ in me, as I’ve then decided what I wanted to do with my life. I wasn’t prepared for the reality of just how cutthroat the industry is… but I’ve made it in spite of that. And I guess you can say I’ve created a family thicker than water with my idol group. Which… which is why I can’t die here. Not when I have so much to live for…”

“Sayaka…” Makoto felt a twinge of sympathy for her, as he has no doubt in his mind he was wrong. They… did have so much to live for, didn’t they? They couldn’t just up and die here, not when they have family and friends on the outside. When help comes – _if_ help comes – Makoto prays he hasn’t missed out on his life like that.

**(Music Fades Out)**

Sayaka paused for a second before scrutinizing Makoto’s face. “Hey, by the way… question Makoto. Which school did you go to?”

“Huh? Oh, um…” Makoto paused. “Sixth Black Root Middle School.”

“Then… were you the one who nursed a sick bird back to health?!”

**(Music – Become Friends –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdNgbKYZAW4>)**

“H-Huh?!” Makoto blinked. “So that means – “

“I _knew_ there was a familiar face here! _I knew it!”_  Sayaka giggled happily. “We went to the same middle school, remember Makoto?!”

“Wha…?” Makoto dug deep into his brain… and much to his regret, nothing in particular came up. “Sorry, I can’t remember; it’s been ages.”

“No worries! I agree it’s been a while.” Sayaka giggled; she wasn’t offended at all. “We didn’t see each other because we had opposite curriculars, but… we’ve met when you nursed a sick crane back to full health! I’ve always wanted to get to know you better, as that really touched me… but sadly, we went to different high schools before that point.”

Makoto, meanwhile, was gob-smacked. “No way… _Sayaka?! In my school?!”_

“Yep!” Sayaka’s eyes were sparkling. “It’s good to see you again, Naegs!”

“N-Naegs…?” Makoto felt a blush creep over his face. “Why would you – “

“Naegs, huh…? T-That’s kinda a dumb nickname, hahaha…”

 _“Eh…?!”_ Sayaka blinked, and both she and Leon turned to Makoto; he had just awoken from his coma and gave an awkward laugh. “Uhhh, did I protect you, Makoto? Also, you’re looking really pretty Sayaka…”

As Sayaka blushed, Makoto gave a happy grin; for one reason or another, Leon woke up pretty fast and was seeing a few stars… but he was fine otherwise. “So, uhh… what’d I miss?” His voice was in a bit of a slur, but he was fine.

“We carried you to here.” Sayaka smiled. “You were knocked out cold by Mondo, and… you were trying to protect your new friend ‘cuz you cared for him, right?”

 _“HUH?!”_ Leon jolted out of his shock just like that. “Wait a moment, how did you know?!”

Sayaka looked resolute. “I’m psychic.”

_“R-Really?!”_

“Just kidding! I only have really good intuition.” Sayaka giggled before looking at her watch. “It’s 12:40. Want me to bring you some lunch here?”

Leon smiled. “Thanks. And… Naegs, huh?” Makoto blushed again, but this time smiled. “Not a bad nickname, haha. Ooogh, I still feel sore…”

Makoto, Leon and Sayaka broke into laughter and relief upon seeing Leon was alright… for now. What would come in the following days from there onwards would be far from ideal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s a little bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but I’ve decided to split up Daily Life into two parts in order to hammer home the character development here. For now, I’ll add four more chapters to the potential chapter total: it may increase or decrease depending on how much I get done.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, and stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds (Daily Life; Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When everybody else seems to be hesitant on committing the first blood, Monokuma personally steps in with a motive.
> 
> Three guesses what happens next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’m late to the party all! Be prepared to know that this is generally the speed I go at with my updates in fanfics. Just go ask the poor fellas waiting for FWTP’s updates, or worse, some of my more obscure fics. Yeesh.
> 
> Anyway, good luck to all of you, and enjoy this update!

**(Music – Beautiful Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WZb20NinCs>)**

_Day 2 – Dorms – 9:32 AM_

The rest of yesterday flew on like the wind.

Makoto, honestly, kind of wished _all_ days would be that uneventful, given the circumstances. He got to have his meal, he got to hang out with Sayaka and Leon after the latter’s recovery, and… honestly, the day went on without so much as a hitch. That arguably unnerved the luckster even _more,_ especially since it was hardly any sort of good omen for the future.

Simply put, Makoto was scared… but more than anything, he wanted to go home. Everybody’s _looking_ at each other, almost _contemplating_ on what move to take next. Everything was so intense that a self-proposed rule had to have been coined by Celeste that _nobody_ could enter anybody’s dorm until later in the morning, no doubt due to the fact that everybody wants to be able to sleep in peace.

So morning breakfast went on, and… still, no luck finding _any_ sort of escape. Makoto found himself wandering back and forth through the hallway leading to the dorms, fearing his life with each and every unconscious step. He knew in the back of his mind the peace won’t last much longer than this… _somebody_ was going to kill _somebody_ later on, as much as he didn’t want to acknowledge that fact.

Unfortunately, he got his reminder upon seeing a certain blonde four-eyes whittling away at something somewhere near the wall.

“…Togami-kun?” Makoto recognized that posture anywhere, despite having only known him for a day. “Um, what’re you doing?”

Byakuya stopped what he was doing before wordlessly turning to Makoto, his face locked in something akin to a dark scowl. “…oh, it’s you. What do _you_ want?”

 _Jeez, talk about a no-holds-barred reply..._ Makoto shoved that snippy thought down the back of his head as he continued the conversation. “I want you to ask my own question first, though. Why’re you tampering with the wall over there?”

Byakuya almost paused for a brief second, looking at his machinations near the wall, before silently turning back to Makoto. His face was still in a constant state of scowling, but Makoto noticed he gave something akin to a deviant little smile. Regardless, his answer was brutally honest in all its glory.

**(Music Fades)**

“Well, there’s no harm in being blunt with you, especially given most everybody else is likely thinking the same thing.” Byakuya chuckled darkly. Something about that guffaw made Makoto more than a little terrified. “I’m planning preparations with a murder.”

“W-What…?!”

**(Music – Despair Syndrome (Ver. 2) –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM>)**

Makoto felt himself back away slowly, having been revealed a piece of Byakuya’s thought processes. But a powerful voice went on to halt his retreat. _“…stop._ I’m not done with you yet.”

“I, uh…” Makoto bit his lip. He knew he shouldn’t be asking questions to somebody who just confessed _murder was on his mind,_ but he did so against his better judgement. “W-Why are you telling me this…?”

Byakuya went back to frowning. “Why _should_ I tell you, idiot? My business is my own damn business, and if that’s all you have to ask, can you get out of my way?”

 _“W-Wait!_ I, um, that isn’t what I meant.” Makoto fumbled his words a bit. “I’m wondering why you’re poking holes into the wall.”

Makoto finally caught sight of Byakuya having a screw-driver in his hand, puncturing holes into the wall… small ones, yes, but even so. Byakuya glanced over to where Makoto was looking and then back, simply shaking his head in amusement.

“Fine. I was poking around you can say. But _what_ I intend to do is quite frankly my own business.” Byakuya pushed up his glasses. “However, I _will_ say one thing. You’ve got a glimpse of the seventh rule, right?”

“Hmm…?” Makoto thought to himself before bringing out his e-Handbook. “Oh, you mean this?”

* * *

  **Rule #7:** Complete destruction of school property is forbidden, but tampering with it and/or damaging it is allowed in the case of fueling creative murders. This rule is not applicable to any of the aforementioned mechanics of Rule #5.

* * *

_Day 2 – Dorms – 9:37 AM_

“Well, you aren’t as hopeless as I’ve feared.” Byakuya chuckled. “I was merely finding ways that I can go on to perfect my technique, when the time comes. Who knows? You may be a target I have in mind, given how exploitable you are.”

Makoto felt his stomach _lurch_ at that comment, before slowly backing away. Unfortunately, Byakuya had one last scathing comment to give to the poor man.

“Oh, one last thing.” Byakuya casually remarked. “I’d appreciate it if you told nobody about what you saw here. Besides, me “planning preparations with murder” is something of a misnomer; I’m more in the… _consideration stage,_ so to speak. And frankly, I have no complaints with considering any of you expendable in my escape.”

“W-What?!” Makoto, now, was getting _mad._ “H-How on Earth can you possibly say tha – “

 _“Because I’m the wealthy heir of the Togami Empire, far beyond_ you, _worm.”_ Byakuya’s voice dipped into a low, venomous tone. “I have a destiny ahead of me that I had to _claw_ my way towards; if you think that being the heir of a 1% corporation is something I was born with, _think again._ I will _not_ die here, much less to vermin such as yourself.”

Makoto took a step back in utter shock, before Byakuya casually waved his hand. “Now get out of my sight. Do not pester me further, imbecile.”

**(Music Slowly Fades Out)**

Makoto took to his advice, more than a little disturbed. Casually, he walked away, pretending he didn’t see anything… but at the same time, he couldn’t find it in him to just let this tidbit of information _get past_ him. He couldn’t, nor he wouldn’t.

“I…” Makoto breathed in. “I have to tell everybody else about it.” That was what Makoto _was_ going to say under his breath, but he didn’t want to take his chances given the infinitely-intimidating Togami heir was in ear shot. Instead, he quietly took these thoughts to stride as he made his way to meet up with others… and eventually, disclose what he came to bear witness towards.

* * *

**(Music – Beautiful Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WZb20NinCs>)**

_Day 3 – Gym – 10:54 AM_

Makoto was beginning to settle into a routine being trapped here, and that genuinely worried him.

He definitely isn’t implying that the alterative isn’t scarier: that he – or somebody else who’s unfortunate enough to be trapped here – could be murdered at any given time, any given moment… and that if they fail to identify the killer, _all_ of them are executed. The thought sent shudders down the Luckster’s spine, and given the first three days trapped here passed without incident, being called to the gym by Monokuma should be a _very_ worrying sign of things to come.

…actually, no, there _was_ one specific moment where the distrust in the party escalated to a new high. That was when Makoto confessed to everyone what he saw Byakuya doing the other day. Mondo had to have been _restrained_ as to not bloody the Ultimate Affluent Progeny’s angular face, and from the looks of it, Byakuya seemed little more than inconvenienced by everyone’s anger at him. That… honestly was something that worried Makoto _more_ than settling into a routine over this nightmare, as it showed Byakuya didn’t give two craps about what everybody else thought of him.

That, unto itself, is a recipe for disaster given these circumstances.

Regardless, he was given something close to small comfort from Leon’s back-patting and Sayaka’s cheerful smiles; he’s become already quite close with both of them after the first day’s affairs, even getting to spend quite a bit of time with them during yesterday’s free time. It was _weird_ putting so much trust into two people you’ve literally only known for _days_ (excluding Sayaka, who was more of a special case than an exception), but even so… he was happy he had allies now, which is one of the first things he would need to acquire if he hopes on making it out of this nightmare.

“Curious question for a moment, but…” Byakuya noticed one person missing. “Has anybody seen the lavender-girl?”

Nobody answered that question, and as a matter of fact Aoi shot the bespectacled blonde a fierce glare. “Why should we answer _you?_  Especially now that we know there’s no rEason we should trust you?”

“Are you seriously going to judge me for one little incident?” Byakuya hissed right back. “People have layers, you know.”

“I _do_ hate to be judgmental in this particular instance, but you yourself said that you shouldn’t assume others standards as yours, right? Trust no one and always look after yourself.” Celestia gave a small little smile before becoming even more mischievous. “So tell me, after it was revealed you were one of the first people considering the prospect of murder, why _should_ we trust you even if there’s more to the story than there seems to be?”

Byakuya had no response to that. Leon, ever the emotionally-intelligent one, ended up filling a rebuttal for his sake; he hated the guy as much as the next person, but Leon was always the kind of person who wanted to play devil’s advocate.

“Well to be fair to him, it isn’t like Byakuya’s a patron saint of morality.” Leon scratched the back of his head as he said that. “We’re all scared and wanna go home; we would assume Byakuya wanting out would be a cold grab for escape, but what about some of the nicer members of the team, like Sakura and Chihiro-chan? If _they_ were making plans, some people would come to their defense because they’re more approachable and open than Togami is.”

“I…” Chihiro bit her lip, tearing up a bit. “I-I wouldn’t hurt anybody though…!”

Sakura was quick to comfort, gently stroking the young girls hair; she calmed down a bit thanks to that. “Relax. Kuwata-kun was merely giving an example; he’s trying to say that more people would be inclined to defend us if we were in Togami’s shoes.”

“Yeah, precisely.” Leon gave a little wink to the sniffling Chihiro, and a thumbs up; Chihiro’s spirits were lifted by that.

“Well gosh, I do think Leon’s got a point.” Taka mused. “But still… doesn’t layers apply beyond exteriors? If that’s true, then maybe there’s more to the story than just what they seem to be.”

“That’s my point as well, if for what’s likely different reasons.” Celestia nodded. “For all we know, Chihiro and Sakura could be _vicious_ underneath that mask, while Togami may have something of moral merit to him. We can only truly look after ourselves in this instance.”

Silence befell the group once more; Togami still gave no reply, as he was more than content grimacing to himself amidst all this. Meanwhile, Sayaka patted Makoto on the back and smiled.

“Hey, Naegs…” Despite her grin, the tone of her voice sounds a bit shaky. “You trust me, right?”

“Hmm…” Makoto paused before nodding quietly. “Yeah. Yeah, I trust you. You don’t seem like the kind of person who’d try to hurt somebody so quick.”

“Pfft, of _course_ she wouldn’t!” Leon, despite his exuberance, was also in a soft whisper. “She’s one of the few idols out there who has the “pure girl” image genuine. And lemme tell you, that’s _totally_ my type of girl!”

Makoto laughed a bit while Sayaka simply shook her head and sighed exasperatedly; with a smile, still, but really, her eyes were guided elsewhere…

**(Music Stops)**

_“Oh? Is that a little… affection I see with my own two eyes?”_

**(Music – Momomomonokuma! –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlfyPWkDIHw>)**

The comm once again flared to life, and everyone present felt themselves go rigid. After a few terse moments, however, the same tormenter that placed them here finally emerged, in all of his monochrome duality.

And with that, a grim reminder that the last couple of days _weren’t_ an extended bad dream.

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk>)**

“Ugh… _you again?!”_ Hifumi wailed to nobody in particular. “Can’t you give a bunch of teenagers some slack?!”

Monokuma cackled. “Oh, but I can’t just do _that,_ dummy! You’re exactly as you say you are: TEENAGERS! You’d be willing to hump a traffic cone if it’d get you some _erotic euphoria~!”_ Monokuma’s voice went into a brief sing-along with that last dirty word. “Besides, don’t think I haven’t been keeping tabs on _you,_ Miss Maizono! I see where your eyes are looking at!”

As Sayaka turned beet red – after that little traffic cone cause half of everybody present to cross their legs instinctively – Leon finally spoke up. “Okay, I get that, but is that why you _really_ called us here?! Just get to the fuckin’ point!”

“Wow, language! That’s inappropriate for a school environment, y’know.” Monokuma cackled as Taka let loose a muted “That’s _my_ line!”, before moving onto the matter at hand. “But yes, I’ve grown _so boooooooored_ of your hesitance to begin killing each other! So, I figured it’d be time for me to step into play!”

Kyoko crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? So you intend to give us a motive to try to kill each other?”

**(Music Stops)**

Everyone felt a chill go their spines upon hearing Kyoko’s comment. Monokuma, meanwhile, gave a resplendent little giggle. _“Bingo, cheerio!_ As a matter of fact, I hereby present to you… THIS! Tadaaaaaaaah!”

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Extracurricular Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0JuVXTcUw>)**

Monokuma promptly revealed fifteen VHS tapes in his hands, all before promptly tossing it at each of the students with pinpoint accuracy. Makoto looked at the name on the VHS tape, as it was unmistakably his.

* * *

  **Makoto Naegi’s Motive Video**

**_ “Please Report to the Data Center For Viewing! <3” ~ Monokuma _ **

* * *

_Day 3 – Gym – 11:09 AM_

Makoto found a chill go down his spine for what seems like the second time that day. Kyoko, however, was quick to interrupt.

“And if we refuse to watch it?” Kyoko asked, ever the more inquisitive. “What will happen then?”

“Oh, I’ll just settle for executing all of you then and there!” Monokuma cackled, much to the pale-white shock of everybody else. “Unless you have a death with, I suggest you watch the video, _as the penalty for not doing so is DEATH!”_

 _“D-Death?! What the fuck?!”_ Mondo howled. “This has to be some sort of fuckin’ joke!”

“S-So, we gotta watch our… m-motive videos then, huh?” Toko chewed her lip. “W-Well, we _have_ been hesitating on the first kill – n-not that _I’d_ plan on killing anybody here!”

Toko’s words mattered little as everyone blankly stared at the tape. Monokuma, meanwhile, waved them off. “Welp, go watch it! Otherwise, you are all dismissed; try not to piss yourself in fear, okie-dokie? _BWAHAHAHAHAHAA!”_

With Monokuma’s rather crude dismissal, everybody went over to the Data Center with heavy hearts and more than a little fear of what’s to come. Needless to say, what would be _on_ those videos would be a shock for _everyone._

* * *

**(Music – Despair Syndrome (Ver. 2) –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM>)**

_Day 3 – Hallway – 11:42 AM_

_“LOOK FOR THE ANSWER AFTER GRADUATION!”_

Those words. Those words were _burned_ into Makoto’s mind upon witnessing what he just did.

Honestly, what else was he expecting? Was he expecting a happy video reminding him that his family loves him and wishes him safety? Of course not; this was his _motive video,_ something deliberately, consciously _tries_ to evoke him to commit murder. With his family happily waving him on in one shot and the very room they were sitting in torn to pieces the next, Makoto’s mind raced in utter _fear_ as to what would happen next. If something happened to Komaru… he wouldn’t forgive himself, ever.

It didn’t take much to say that everyone else handled their videos poorly, either. Seeing the first couple of viewers’ reactions to the whole mess was something that was still vivid in Makoto’s mind.

* * *

_Day 3 – Data Center – 11:33 AM_

_“So,” Byakuya remarked, grimacing upon seeing his video. “These fiends don’t seem to have any sort of standards whatsoever. Must they_ truly _target even lowly workers?”_

_“Wait…” Sayaka blinked; she’s lucky to have not seen her video (yet), but the responses from Byakuya, Leon and Makoto were definitely not promising. “Your motive video… isn’t your family?”_

_Byakuya glared_ daggers. _“Mind your own damn business!”_

 _Meanwhile, Leon was gripping at his hair and making all sort of frustrated noises. “T-THOSE ASSHOLES! How could they_ do _that?! They-They can’t possibly…!”_

 _“Leon, please calm down.” Makoto patted Leon on the back; he flinched, but he nonetheless listened. “What I saw… it was starting too, but… but we can’t let this get the better of us. Would whomever your loved one_ really _want you to kill for her?”_

_Leon – however tensed-up he was at the moment – nonetheless heeded Makoto’s advice. After trembling incessantly, he took a deep breath in and out, and promptly calmed down. “Y-Yeah. You’re right; this isn’t any time to act on my feelings. Thanks, Naegs…”_

_Leon should acted more happy, but his voice still sounded glum. After all, who wouldn’t be in a moment like this?_

* * *

_Day 3 – Hallway – 11:43 AM_

Of course, Leon managed to calm down well-enough to Makoto’s assistance, so no incident occurred… at least, until everyone else arrived.

Their reactions were varied, but overwhelmingly horrified: Chihiro and Celestia, oddly enough, seemed especially shocked at their videos, with Celestia ending up grumbling how low it’d be to target _animals_ of all things. Everyone’s horror was utterly dwarfed by Sayaka’s, though; in a moment, she pretty much _ran out of the room_ _crying,_ which led to the situation both Makoto and Leon found themselves in as per Kyoko’s orders; find Sayaka, and get her to calm down.

Easier said than done, all things considered.

“So, uh, you’ve got _any_ clue where Sayaka could’ve gone, Naegs?” Leon _wanted_ to sound more sure of himself when he said that, but he nonetheless felt a twinge of dread overwhelm him. “Because we _have_ been looking around this place for a bit of time as-is. And still no luck… gah, I feel terrible for Sayaka. I don’t blame her panicking. If something happened to…”

Leon’s voice trailed off to some muttering before an instinctive wince, and Makoto was on good enough terms to assume Leon would feel comfortable telling him. “Um, Leon… who did your motive video feature?”

As good friends as the two teens were, Makoto miscalculated that judgement. “W-Why should I tell you?!”

“S-Sorry! Sorry. I’m not trying to sound insidious or anything.” Makoto raised his hands defensively, but he still put on his best smile. “I’ll tell you what: you tell me your motive video, and I’ll tell you mine. We’ve got ourselves a deal?”

**(Music Fades Out)**

Leon paused for a second there, putting these thoughts to light for another second more. Quietly, he took a deep breath and breathed out, turning his way towards Makoto’s brown eyes. “…you’re right. Damnit, you’re right. You’ve done nothin’ but be nice to me, Naegs. I’ll be happy to tell you, it’s just… well, I hope you know I was just a little worried what you’d do with the information.”

**(Music – Moon on the Water –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msyYWdbopE0>)**

“My video… well, it featured my cousin.” Leon sighed glumly. “Truthfully speaking, she was always kinda annoying. She was clingy and sometimes pushes our relationship beyond its comfort zone. But… I still love her. I never really had any siblings, so she was… well, I guess she was the closest I’ve gotten to a sister. Not long after my mom died of breast cancer anyways.”

Makoto was taken aback by that last statement. “I… what on Earth? Your mother is… dead?”

Leon smiled sadly. “More or less. Me and pa rarely got along, but I still had family on my mom’s side. I constantly visited my cousin’s place when I was little, and… suffice to say, we were close. She’s still a bit clingy as I’ve said, but I still love her as a sibling. And if anything happened to her, well… I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. If I couldn’t even protect Kanon, how could I protect everybody else?”

Makoto felt his head droop as he nodded dumbly. “…sorry. It was rude of me to pry.”

“Nah dude, it’s cool.” Leon forced a smile as to dissuade Makoto’s fears; that said, there was a lot of that cheeky grin that was genuine. “Talking about this… well, it helps. I was raised in a household that believed in internalizing your problems and “being a man,” so… it’s nice being able to talk about this.”

“I seriously feel better,” Leon nodded. “Thanks, Naegs.”

Makoto smiled back, however half-heartedly. “…you’re welcome, I guess. I didn’t really do anything…”

“Naw, don’t say that! That said…” Leon thought to himself. “…why don’t you tell me your motive video?”

Makoto fell silent.

**(Music Stops)**

After a few more silent moments, Leon cocked an eyebrow. “Uh, Naegs? Wassup?”

“Do you hear that?” Makoto wasn’t ever the Ultimate Listener… but he’s hearing soft sobbing the room over. Suddenly, he perked up. _“It’s Maizono! She’s in Class 1-B!”_

“Wait, seriously?! Well shit man, guess you gotta tell me about your motive video some other time…” Leon shook these thoughts away as Makoto rushed to the source; Leon realized this and began catching up. _“H-Hey, wait up! Don’t leave me behind in the dust!”_

* * *

**(Music – Heartless Journey –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PTgs95JMGg>)**

_Day 3 – Class 1-B – 11:57 AM_

“S-Sayaka…?”

The sight behind the closet of Class 1-B was depressing, suffice to say. Sayaka, huddled up in a ball, white as a sheet with bloodshot, tear-stained eyes. Leon actually had to turn away for a brief second due to how _terrified_ the poor girl looked, but Makoto gently knelt down to equal eye level and smiled.

“Hey, Sayaka… are you doing to be okay…? Whatever your motive video was, it…” Makoto paused for a second. “…well, it had to have been really tough. I’m sorry you had to witness whatever you did back there.”

More silence. It took a whole minute before Sayaka decided to speak up again.

“M-Makoto…” Sayaka cried. “I-I want out of here… I really do, but… w-why?! _Why must we have to KILL EACH OTHER TO DO SO?!”_

Sayaka suddenly said those last words with a shrill scream before breaking down crying, going right back to hyperventilation. “I wanna go home… I just wanna go home so bad… Leon… M-Makoto, I…”

Leon, at this point, had to intervene. “Shh, hey. We ain’t leavin’ you, Sayaka. Neither of us will. And I dunno how, but… we’ll find a way to get out of here. I promise you.”

 _“How on Earth can you remain so calm?!”_ Sayaka cried out, her head still buried into her hands. “We’re all _trapped_ here, with no way out! Our _lives_ are on the other side, and I’m not going to sit here and – “

“But that’s the thing! You’ll play directly into Monokuma’s hands if you do.” Makoto nodded. “You can’t internalize the need to escape so emotionally; you gotta stay calm. There’s _always_ another way out of here, okay? Even if it takes a while, I assure you… we’ll find a way out of here if we all remain calm. Understood?”

Sayaka sat there in silence again. For the first time in a bit, however, she removed her hands from her eyes, once again revealing how much of a mess she looks. But for one reason or another, she somehow took Makoto’s advice to heart. Dumbly, she simply nodded.

“O-Okay. You… you promise we’ll find a way out of here if we use our brain power?” Sayaka’s voice was almost child-like in how scared it sounded. “That’s what you’re saying… right?”

Makoto nodded. “Absolutely. You just… gotta put one foot in front of the other, y’know? Use your head, and we’ll make it out of here. Now c’mon; on your feet.”

Makoto extended his hand, something Sayaka dumbly gripped onto before being hoisted onto her feet. She was still sniffling her tears, but for the first time since being discovered, she gave way to a small little smile. It looked forced, but she seemed to have reigned in her angst a bit.

Leon, meanwhile, was thoroughly impressed. “Jeez, Makoto, well said! I wouldn’t be able to say it better than you did. Wow…”

Makoto laughed before he heard the door open. Byakuya and Kyoko were behind it.

“We’ve heard the commotion from away.” Kyoko nodded gently, smiling. “I take it she’ll be okay?”

“She’s better be. This was a waste of time, looking after her like this.” Byakuya shook his head. “I’ll be in my room. I have no time for the likes of any of you.”

Byakuya left as soon as he came in. Leon found himself glaring gently, but it was interrupted by a much-cooler stare from Kyoko. “You shouldn’t let your emotion get in the way, Kuwata-kun. Seems like Togami’s never changing anytime soon.”

Leon had a dry humorless laugh from that, all before turning to Makoto and Sayaka. “Well, point is, we’ve found Sayaka-chan like this. She’s okay, now, but… damn Kyoko, presuming you saw the video, how can you remain so _calm?”_

Kyoko nodded silently, but her lips were parsed in a somewhat-proud smile. “Practice. In any event, lunch should be served at 12:30. I advise you show up there; crying that much demands hydration in turn. Now, if you’ll excuse me...”

Kyoko bowed courteously before walking away. Makoto took the moment to glance towards Sayaka before smiling. “You’re going to be okay, right?”

Sayaka simply nodded with a little more consciousness to the reality of her situation. “Y-Yeah. Thank you both… you guys are so nice.”

“Anytime. Welp, why don’t we hang out a bit before getting something to eat? Not gonna lie, I’m pretty hungry…”

Makoto chuckled and Sayaka gave a light giggle; whether Sayaka chortle was part of a façade or not, all three present quietly excused themselves from the dreary classroom.

No other incidents happened for the remainder of the day.

* * *

**(Music – Cool Morning –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0QGb_rRik>)**

_Day 4 – Makoto’s Room – 7:57 AM_

“Naegi-kun, report to breakfast immediately! Are you there?! Don’t you have any sort of semblance of pride in your school life?!”

That all too familiar blaring voice of Taka’s jolted Makoto awake. It was bizarre, having obtained a full night of rest after so many restless nights… but it was a welcome change nonetheless. Makoto was normally a mild light sleeper, so being so _out-cold_ was definitely something he welcomed. Regardless, he tossed in his sheets before getting up and making his way to the door; he was still in a pair of plaid pajamas.

Indeed, he opened the door to see a passionate Kiyotaka and exasperated Leon. Kiyotaka’s exuberance, however, evolved into horror. _“Y-You’re completely indecent! Get dressed at once! D-Do you intend on going to our breakfast meeting in that attire?!”_

“Ugh… sorry to wake you up, Naegs.” Leon yawned; from the looks of things, the poor guy looked dead tired. “Everyone picked me to come get you. More than that, there’s a few people that are missing, like Kyoko and Togami.”

Makoto felt worries surge through him, but Leon picked up on that. “N-No worries! Both are lone wolves, so I wouldn’t be surprised if…” Leon yawned once again. “…if they were doing their own thing.”

Makoto’s face scrunched a bit. “Leon… did you get any rest last night?”

A bit of shame appeared on the baseball star’s face. “Honestly? Not really. I’m surprised you slept well-enough; there was a _serious_ amount of weird noises the fans in the vent were makin’, so I… didn’t really get any sleep.” Leon shook his head. “Hey, can you get dressed? Taka’s _really_ insistent on getting us to the meeting.

Makoto smiled. He let both teens in.

“Hmm… definitely a modest establishment you’ve made, Naegi-kun!” Taka smiled warmly. “Nothing to extravagant, nothing to droll! Truly, your quarters are an exemplar of the average abode!”

 _Average. As if I don’t get called that enough…_ Makoto would’ve said this with rolling eyes if Taka didn’t look so _happy._ Leon, meanwhile, was trying to open the bathroom.

“Ugh, _this stupid thing won’t open! What the hell?!”_ Leon yelled to nobody in particular. “Sheesh, Naegs, how do you open this thing?! Does it have a lock or something?”

“No; if you remember, only the girls’ quarters have locks. Talk about double standards…” Makoto muttered before smiling. “A-Anyways! It’s just a bad door is all. Apparently I’ve gotten the wrong frame for whatever reason, but there’s a trick to opening it.”

Leon smiled cheekily; he was tired, but he was interested. “Ah? Do tell, buddy!”

“Yes! Do demonstrate your door-opening abilities!” Taka grinned before suddenly looking perplexed. “Though, um, you’re the Ultimate Lucky Student, are you not? Wouldn’t that be _bad_ luck instead of good luck…?”

Makoto smiled at both boys (despite Taka’s lampshade) as he gripped at the doorknob in demonstration.

**(Music Abruptly Cuts)**

“Alright, enough from the peanut gallery. Now you open it like this, move it upwards and… and… p-pres… to…”

The sight in front of all three boys was inconceivable.

**(Music – Body Discovery A –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6HGDQSfutg>)**

Blood. Blood was everywhere. And at the center of it was a blond man who’s mutilated face laid sideways for all three boys to see with their two eyes; glasses were cracked and shattered on his broken, distorted face, and a pool of blood – with marks from the open ventilation shaft – was where it came from. And right next to the body was a blood-soaked baseball.

Upon closer inspection, it was Byakuya Togami.

………

……

…

**_Chapter 1: A Wolf Amongst Shepherds – DAILY LIFE END_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 14_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I’M BACK, AND WITH A CLIFFHANGER, BITCHES!_ **
> 
> Yes, the first casualty of the Killing Game is none other than Byakuya Togami! There’s a reason why he appeared quite a bit so far: it was because I, truthfully speaking, ain’t a fan of the guy, much less the fact that what he did in Chapter 2 canon (no spoilers) was unforgivable. I digress either way, though; finally, at long last, things are getting interesting!
> 
> Welp, see you guys next time! Hopefully I update sooner, haha.


	5. Chapter 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds (Killing Life)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A body has been discovered! With eyes leering towards Leon's potential involvement in the crime, how will Makoto handle seeing his new friend fall under suspicion?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaaaaand we’re back! Let’s enjoy the murder mystery, hmmm~?

**_CHAPTER 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds – KILLING LIFE_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 14_ **

* * *

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

_Day 4 – Makoto’s Room – 8:01 AM_

“T-Togami…?”

Makoto uttered those words while white as a sheet, hoping Togami would come to. But as the blood pooled around the room while his body was motionless and mutilated, it was clear that he was not alive. Not anymore anyway.

In any case, that was the last thing Makoto remembered before panic set in in the room.

 _“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGH!”_ Makoto _screamed_ at the top of his lungs, stumbling back. As he store at the body in horror with deep, labored breaths, Leon and Kiyotaka were promptly panicking as well.

“W-What the fuck…? _WHAT THE FUCK?!”_ Leon screamed at the top of his lungs as well. _“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!”_

 _“I-I’ll gather everyone!”_ Taka, ever a leader, stepped in. “Both of you, _remain calm and stay here! Don’t touch the body; I’ll get everybody!”_

As Taka rushed off, the comms flair came to life, as well as the sound of an electronic school bell styled in an angel’s choir.

_*ding-dong-bing-boooooooooooooong*_

And with that, the comms flared to life, as with a certain teddy bear.

“A body has been discovered!” Monokuma cheerfully announced. “Please proceed to Makoto Naegi’s bathroom at once! Oh, and if blood unnerves you, you best stay away; it takes some serious _balls_ to want to see a dead body, upupu!”

_*bing-bong-ding-doooooooooooooong*_

Leon stood there before promptly following Taka in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, Makoto stared at the corpse of Togami, then looked at his own hands…

…only to see his hands were stained by the puddle of blood. _Togami’s_ blood.

That was the last thing Makoto remembered before passing out.

* * *

**(Music Stops)**

_Day 4 – Makoto’s Room – ???_

_“…telling you I didn’t do it!”_

_“Don’t bullshit me, Kuwata! You’re the exact person who would_ dare _pull this kinda crap! I swear to fuck, I’m gonna – “_

 _“Owada,_ stop. _Both you and Kuwata are acting like children; we’re not going to solve this mystery if we don’t keep a cool head.”_

 _“Oh, shut up, ya fuckin’ lavender robot! Being calm comes naturally to_ you, _but the rest of us ain’t so fuckin’ fortunate!”_

**(Music - Nightmare in a Locker -<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SuBfOizAE>)**

“Nhhh…” Makoto’s eyes fluttered to seem _everybody_ present, without exception… barring the deceased Togami, but that… that wasn’t something Makoto wanted to think about this instant. Regardless, Leon turn to his unconscious friend, more than a little desperation in his eyes.

“C’mon, Naegs, _help me out here!”_ Leon cried. _“I didn’t do it, I swear!”_

“Why the fuck would anyone believe you, ya little shit?” Mondo hissed, cracking his knuckles. “The murder weapon was a _baseball!_ Is it really any sort of fuckin’ coincidence that the _Ultimate Baseball Star_ would kill somebody like that?”

Hifumi was quick to step in. “Ummm, Master Mondo? Are you, um, certain that Leon could’ve killed somebody with a baseball throw?” Hifumi paused for a moment before reevaluating his question. “…actually, no, it _is_ possible, but is it possible to _mutilate_ a face like that?”

“Y-Yeah, I gotta agree.” Chihiro quietly spoke up. “I-I don’t think a throw of that nature is possible.”

“Hmmm… well, I guess we’ll have to ask the professionals then!” Celestia smiled cheerfully. “Aoi-chan, mind you tell me of Leon’s throwing speeds?”

“Huh?! Umm, well…” Aoi puzzled for a second before smiling happily. “Oh, it’s 101 miles per hour, as per the Ultimate Baseball Star!”

Everybody not named Aoi took a step back from Leon, even Makoto.

“I… see. Hm.” For the first time since being trapped here, Kyoko looked _shocked,_ but she quickly recomposed herself. “That… that is definitely a possible velocity to mutilate somebody’s face with. Also, dare I say, it’s quite impressive.”

Makoto swore he saw Leon’s eye twitch for a second.

Regardless, the short teen _had_ to speak up, not just in Leon’s defense, but just to ascertain _what the hell is going on._ “Um, this is great and all, but, um, _how long was I out?!”_

“Oh! Dearest me, forgive us, Makoto!” Celestia gave a small little smile. “You were out, for, ohh…” Celestia checked her watch. “…little more than two minutes. We all rushed in to see the bloodied baseball, and as you can assume from the evidence, well… it _should_ be obvious to even a buffoon that Leon is the culprit, right?”

Before Makoto had time to figure out who the “buffoon” _was_ and be offended, Leon lashed out. “C’mon, guys! Really! I… I really didn’t do it! _You gotta believe me for a second, I – “_

“Not that it’s my place to play bad cop or anything dude, but…” Junko scrunched her face. “But aren’t you, like, the Ultimate Baseball Star? I mean, I doubt anybody else can pull that murder off…”

 _Wait, what?_ Makoto pushed these thoughts down as Sayaka looked comparably anxious, but she took a deep breath in and out. “Then… wouldn’t that mean Leon-kun’s the most likely culprit here? I mean, the murder weapon _is_ a baseball…”

“W-Wha?! _Sayaka?!”_ Leon looked almost offended. _“Even you don’t believe me?!”_

 _“I-I wanna believe you, really!”_ Sayaka spoke up. “I-It’s just… we don’t have anything else to go by at the moment, y’know? I hope you understand…”

Everyone fell into silence, but Makoto noticed one more person was missing. He broke the ice by stating just that. “Hey, um… where’s Toko?”

Suddenly, everyone looked dour for whatever reason. Kyoko was, as per usual, blunt about the subject.

“Toko possesses hematophobia, so she’s staying away from the murder scene as far as possible. That, and…” Kyoko’s stoicism gave way to a twinge of discomfort. “…that, and Toko handled Togami’s death poorly. She’s grieving in her own quarters; she seems to be disposed-of at the moment, and likely won’t be able to investigate with us.”

“Well, I personally don’t mind that Togami’s no longer in the land of the living. Guy was a jerk…” Yasuhiro coughed to himself, before smiling wryly. “Besides, with what his face looks like at the moment, we gotta make sure aliens don’t come a steal it. That stuff’s _beef_ now, man.”

Aoi answered Hiro’s joke with an unceremonious slap, causing the older man to yelp in response. _“How on earth can you say that joke?!_ Nobody _deserves to be murdered like this, not even Byakuya!”_

“I’m of the mind of Hina. Even if Togami-kun was never a cordial person, that does _not_ justify making light of the circumstances of his death.” Sakura looked angry at first, before taking a deep breath and calming down. “In any case, I do suggest you refrain from making such comments in the future, lest I personally intervene… _physically_ , no less.”

That unsubtle threat made Hiro shudder.

Silence fell again for a brief second, before Chihiro spoke again. “Well, we have a murder on our hands, don’t we? W-What do we do then?”

“That, children, is a question I am _deeeeeeeeeelighted to answer!”_

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk>)**

“Oh, God…” Makoto – including everyone else - groaned instinctively as Monokuma appeared out of thin air, giving a little pose. “Ta-daaaaah! I see you’re up and at ‘em, everybody! Also… _gasp!_ A body?! _Here, in this very room?! Who could’ve done it?!”_

Hifumi blew through his nostrils, almost like a bull. _“For all we know, you could’ve masterminded this murder! Why should we trust_ your _word?”_

“M-Me?! Why, I’d _never_ commit murder on my students! Not in a gazillion years!” Monokuma paused for a bit before smiling faux-innocently. “That said, I don’t even have that good of a throwing arm! _How’d the heck would I kill somebody with a baseball other than will-o-wisp over there!”_

“Will-o-wisp?! The hell you mean…?” Leon was unaware of everybody else glancing him, while Hiro broke into an immature giggle. Celestia, however, was focused on the task at hand.

“Okay, so somebody murdered Togami then…” Celestia pursed her lips. “Even if it’s obvious who committed the murder, do we hold some sort of affair to debate the nature of the case?”

Everyone fell silence on that moment. Monokuma simply gave a devious little cackle.

**(Music Stops)**

“Bwahaha! Correctomundo, drill-hair!” The mechanical bear brought out something in his hand. “Why, as a reward, I’ll give you something in exchange! Have… _this! TA-DAAAAAH!”_

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Extracurricular Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0JuVXTcUw>)**

“Huh? Could that be…” Kyoko’s eyes narrowed. “A folder?” On closer inspection, everybody got a clear glimpse of just _what_ that folder was.

* * *

**_ Truth Bullet – Monokuma File #1 _ **

**_“Victim: Byakuya Togami. The time of death is estimated to be at around 12:10 AM. The body was discovered at 8:00 AM by Makoto, Leon and Kiyotaka; Makoto passed out upon seeing the body. Cause of death is identified to have be caused through severe facial damage.”_ **

* * *

_Day 4 – Makoto’s Room – 8:10 AM_

“This is… a fuckin’ autopsy! Jesus…” Mondo exclaimed to nobody in particular, before furrowing his brow. “But this worthless junk tells us shit! We don’t even know _what_ the murder weapon is!”

“What else _could_ it be, though?” Celestia glanced to a cringing Leon. “Togami clearly died from a baseball directly towards the face. Clearly there’s no further evidence needing explanation than that, right?”

Everybody fell silent for a second longer, all before Kyoko broke the ice.

“Then correct me if I’m wrong…” Kyoko glanced at Monokuma. “We’re to have some sort of trial to debate the circumstances of the murder, right?”

Monokuma’s response was another chortle. _“Give this robot a PhD and a cookie, ‘cuz she’s one_ smart _bitch!_ Yes, to answer your question, you’ll be debating the circumstances of the class trial down the line! How and what that will entail, though…” Monokuma chuckled darkly as he trailed off. “…well, _that_ will be a secret. I’d advise that you all make sure you know just what the hell you’re talking about though! Or this is gonna be one _short_ Killing School Life.”

 _Everyone_ winced upon hearing the darkness present in that line, even Kyoko. Nobody wanted to necessarily know what that meant just yet, especially given the implications. Junko, meanwhile, was more than a little frustrated.

 _“Goddamnit, you stupid bear! Why aren’t you telling us what we’re getting ourselves into?!_ Junko howled. “Aren’t you gonna, like, actually _tell us_ what’s at stake here!”

Monokuma gave a dark grin in response to the pink-haired girl’s ire. “Oh, what fun is a Killing Game if there’s no secrets to be had? I eagerly anticipate what you come up with… and you better do it fast! I’m giving you a deadline until _11:30,_ which will be when its _mandatory_ that you follow me!”

Sakura glared. “So… you intend on giving us no help other than this?” Obviously, she was referring to the Monokuma File, which the bear of the same name picked up on.

“Nope! Figure it out for yourself, kiddos!” Monokuma grinned. “Until then… _try not to panic! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”_

And just like that, he was gone. Everyone, suitably, was speechless.

**(Music - Nightmare in a Locker -<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SuBfOizAE>)**

“This… this…” Aoi was stunned at first as the implications settled in, but mere seconds after Monokuma’s disappearance, she pointed an accusatory finger at Leon. _“This is all your fault! You were the reason why Togami died!”_

“That’s the logical assumption to make, from a simple analysis of the crime scene,” Celestia twirled at her twintails for a second, before looking at two of the most muscle-bound members of the team. “Sakura, Mondo, will you two guard the crime scene here? It’d be disastrous if anybody manages to tamper with the evidence laid out here.”

Sakura nodded, with a small, comforted smile. “You can count on us, Lady Ludenberg.”

Mondo casually rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, yeah, fine. If I gotta touch any fuckin’ dead bodies, though, count me out.”

“U-Um, excuse me though…!” Chihiro whispered quietly, chewing at her lip. “I-Isn’t it unfair that we blame Leon so soon for the crime? We should adhere to “guilty until proven innocent”…”

“Well, Master Fujisaki _does_ have a point! But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume Master Kuwata isn’t likewise to be readily involved within the scene of the crime. So it’s best to be sure more than anything.”

“Yeah… Leon’s a good guy, but I don’t think we should assume so readily he isn’t capable of murder…” Sayaka shook her head. “And if that would be the case, then… then…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence without drooping in shame. Leon felt his heart break at the sight of it.

Makoto, of course, was quick to intervene. “Um, this is nice and all, but can I potentially bring Leon-kun out for some questioning? Err, if that’s fine?”

“Hmm? Oh, if you’ll do that, lemme help you out.” Kyoko nodded. “I have things I want to discuss with both of you.”

“W-Wait, hold on a minute! Don’t I have, like _any say in the matter?!”_ Leon howled. “I mean, I get that I’m the most suspicious, yeah, but _c’mon guys! Just because I threw a baseball into the vent last night doesn’t mean I killed him!”_

Silence. Leon was quick to coup his own mouth into the palms of his hands, while _everybody present_ sans Chihiro, Makoto and Kyoko glared at him. It would take several seconds before Mondo would throw the murder weapon – the bloodied baseball – _directly at Leon’s forehead in retaliation,_ causing the red-head to yell out in pain in response, clutching his head. Fortunately for Leon, it took Makoto and Kyoko _slightly_ more time to react before Mondo could harm him more.

 _“Okaythisisreallygoodbutwe’lltalktoyouguyslaterBYE!”_ And just like that, Makoto’s words and Kyoko’s combined strength with the luckster successfully evacuated a stunned Leon outside of the room.

* * *

**(Music – Despair Searching –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl4VnTNuS-0>)**

_Day 4 – Dorms – 8:19 AM_

_“OWWWWWW! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! AGAIN?!”_ Leon cried out clutching his head. _“Why must that stupid hairstyled ASSHOLE keep tryin’ to hurt me?! GAH!”_

Leon temporarily removed his hand from his head to see blood on his hand. Thankfully, the blood from the baseball has long since dried, but it gave way to the horror that his head was bleeding a bit… thankfully much less than how _much_ it goddamned hurt. Wincing at the pain, he clutched his head and nonetheless tried to shake off the pain. Makoto, meanwhile, looked a little terrified.

“U-Um… Leon…?” Makoto winced. “Are you gonna be oka – “

 _“DO I LOOK OKAY, IDIOT?!”_ Leon cried out in frustrating. “Everybody thinks I did it, even Sayaka! And I… I don’t even know if I killed somebody or not… damnit! Damnit…” Leon buried his head into his hands for a minute, and when it remerged his eyes were pricking with tears. Leon generally _hated_ showing emotion like this, but he was more of a weepy person than he wants to admit. Leon simply shook his head and wiped his eyes. “Fuck, everything hurts. I’m… sorry, Naegs. I guess I’m just upset is all.”

“Leon…” Makoto tried to find the words; Kyoko, keeping her distance for a bit more, simply nodded in approval of what Makoto said next: “The evidence may point to you so far, but… I want to have faith in you. So I will; you’re innocent until proven guilty, and I don’t think you would’ve murdered somebody like that.”

“Makoto…” Leon took a deep breath before recomposing himself. “Yeah, tha – _ow,_ God, this hurts. Anyway, Kyoko-chan… you’ve been quiet for a bit. Is there anything you’d want to say?”

“Indeed. I would actually like to talk to you about the circumstances regarding Togami’s death.” Kyoko nodded. “If it’s any comfort, I’ll guide you to one of the things I’ve picked up on the murder… and namely, why it’s very likely it could’ve been anyone else than you.

**(Music Abruptly Stops)**

_That_ caught both boys attention; Leon was quick to speak up. “So wait… you think you know why I wouldn’t have been able to kill Togami…?”

**(Music – BOX 15 –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEIZvCOtikQ>)**

Kyoko, for one, gave a small, genuine smile – partially out of pride, partially out of a genuine sense to help her fellow students. “Precisely… well, not exactly. It could go either way in the trial… but I can assure you there’s an _alternative means as to which the murder happened.”_

For some reason, those words bore a non-verbal emphasis of importance… but Makoto nonetheless kept that thought at bay. ‘So wait… is it possible that the murder weapon _wasn’t_ the baseball?”

“Don’t you recall what the Monokuma File said? Or rather, didn’t say?” Both boys looked on in confusion, but Kyoko continued regardless. “Sorry, it’d be easier to explain if everybody else wasn’t still in Naegi-kun’s room. Basically, the Monokuma file did _not_ specify the murder weapon: it only said that the victim – Togami – died to severe trauma to his face. That rules one of two possibilities, of course: the first being that the murder weapon was the baseball – in which Leon would be guilty – or the tampering with the fan controls over there.”

“Wait, where?”

Makoto’s question was answered by Kyoko pointing towards the dimly-lit, red-coated hallways of the dormitory… and in the corner of one of the turns was a box of some kind. “That. I don’t know if you realized it or not, but that’s an addition I think is actually new here; it gives external control of the ventilation system of the school.”

“Wait… what?” Leon scratched the back of his head. “Ya lost me, Kirigiri. How does that have anything to do with it?”

“Everything; you were kept up at night by the sound of the vents, right?”

“H-Huh?!” Kyoko’s reply caught the red-headed teen of guard, but he nodded dumbly. “Yeah… yeah, you’d be right on the nose. I woke up due to some noises the fans were making last night, so I eventually drew the baseball to get it to shut up. Why do you ask?”

Kyoko smiled before nodding. “I see… provided your testimony is accurate, we may just be able to solve this murder to your benefit. Follow me, if you will.”

Both boys let Kyoko lead the way to the vent controls, to which she removed the chassis to show a complex of wires and other mechanisms… including two brightly-hued wires: a red one, and a blue one. The red one had been almost gnawed.

“Just as I expected; the red wire – the one leading to the fan’s activation was cut, leading it to shut down for one reason or another. And I take it you haven’t opened up your toolkit yet?”

“Huh? No, not really.”

“Excellent.” Kyoko smiled warmly. “This establishes one of two possibilities. It’s uncertain what would be the case so far, but either Leon threw the baseball and killed Togami, or somebody deliberately disabled the fans to murder Togami on their own volition… either way, one possibility sees that Leon _did_ kill Togami… but the other doesn’t, and if anything it shows decisively why Leon likely has an air-tight alibi.”

“Huh…?” Makoto blinked. “Sorry, you lost me. What do you mean?”

“I’ll let you figure this one out, Naegi-kun.” Kyoko smiled. “Leon threw the baseball at the fan to get it to shut up, while the fan controls have been damaged… what does this imply, in any case?”

“Hmm…” Makoto thought for a second before lighting up. _“Oh!_ If Leon really did throw the baseball in the vent to get the fan to shut up, why wouldn’t he have gone out to damage the controls? So if that’s the case, then that means…”

“…then that means that Leon couldn’t have killed Togami in this scenario. Why would he throw the baseball if he already shut the ventilation, which he hasn’t done?” Kyoko almost looked prideful underneath her calm expression. “Excellent work, Makoto.”

“Umm…” Leon paused before speaking up. “So… does that mean all we gotta do is explain this to the group, and I’m off the hook?”

Kyoko’s expression soured. “Sadly, not immediately. Mind you, this is only my base judgement of the scenario; it’s within the realm of plausibility that some other details to the crime scene haven’t been worked out yet. As much as I believe your word, I don’t think we should assume others will drop their suspicions so early.”

“Hmmm…” Makoto paused for a second to think for a bit, but he lit up with a small smile. “Well, it’s good enough for now. Thanks for the help, Kyoko; that said, should we help clean up Leon’s injury?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice…” Leon winced. “Sorry, gang. I feel like crap right about now.”

“It’s fine.” Kyoko, as calm as she sounded, smiled warmly. “I have some pain medication in the cabinet of my bathroom; want me to supply you some?”

Leon paused before grinning. “Honestly? Yeah. That’d be great.”

And she did just that, with a small smile on her face. After reuniting with the rest of the students, the resulting investigation went utterly swimmingly.

**(Music Stops)**

* * *

**_ Truth Bullet – Bloodied Baseball _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. A bloodied baseball that was discovered neared the ventilation system. If the baseball seems to be the murder weapon, then that means that Togami’s face would’ve only shattered through an incredible degree of force; something only the Ultimate Baseball Star would be capable of. If it’s proven that the baseball killed him, this trial’s over.”_**

**_ Truth Bullet – Togami’s Shattered Face _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. Whatever the murder weapon was, it utterly shattered Togami’s face; it would’ve been impossible to recognize him if it wasn’t for his equally-broken glasses. As concluded earlier, an insane amount of force or damage had to have been done to render his face so unrecognizable.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Bloodied Screwdriver _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. Upon closer inspection of the body, its discovered that a bloodied screwdriver was underneath Togami’s side. Two theories spring from this: either that it was either his means to get into the ventilation system, his murder weapon, or both, or it was somebody else’s screwdriver. Either way, it’s definitely a given that whoever killed Togami used this to retrieve his body, which begs the question who the screwdriver belongs to….”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Open Bathroom Vent _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. The ventilation leading inside the system was pried opened, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. It can be confirmed from this point that the blood was pushed into the ventilation system.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Trail of Blood _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. There’s a clear trail of blood that came from Makoto’s bathroom vent. It’s clear that the body was dragged to Makoto’s room, where it was discovered.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Leon’s Account _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. If Leon’s account is to be taken into consideration, then that means that the fans started making its screeching noises at midnight. His response was to throw the baseball into the ventilation shaft to shut the noise up. Leon’s merely assuming it was midnight at the time; he was too tired to check.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Leon’s Possible Alibi _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. If Leon’s account (see Leon’s Account) is truthful, then that means that he has no reason for having thrown the ball into the vent in the scenario of him tampering with the fans; it would make no sense that he could have killed Togami in that scenario, given he would know beforehand about the ventilation being tampering. If it’s proven that it wasn’t the baseball that killed Togami, then he should be absolved of any major suspicions towards him.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Celeste’s Account _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. Celeste states that the conditions for investigation were “dreadful” due to the heated temperature. Upon further investigation, it was discovered the fans were damaged on top of it, which implies that there’s truth to Leon’s merit as well. Celeste’s account was proven by the fan’s damaging.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Cut Wires _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. As observed by Kyoko, the ventilation system has been damaged – specifically two wires were, a red and blue one. The red one, strangely, looked almost gnawed, as it was not a clean cut. The blue one remained intact; though it is currently unknown what the wires due to the system dying due to power loss, it can be assumed the red wire stops the system or at least cuts power for temporary routing; that explains why the fans were making that noise from last night, at least according to Leon.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Toko’s Absence _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. For whatever reason, Toko was greatly upset by Togami’s demise. She spent a large part of her time grieving his death. Not only that, but she refused to partake in the investigation due to all the blood involved. Given the fact that Togami’s body was moved and her nauseous reactions to blood, it’s worth assuming she has an airtight alibi.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Tampered Ventilation Controls _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. The ventilation system has been completely tampered with as to facilitate the murder; whether or not the baseball killed her or the vent, it was used to help make sure Togami died in the fashion he did. As of this writing, the majority of the students seem convinced that Togami was killed by a baseball.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Damaged Fans _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. The fans were damaged, but not visibly; they reportedly made a screeching sound before shutting down completely. This could be a side-effect of the power being cut, but…”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Bloodied Vent _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. Bizarrely, the area where the fan was had blood spattered over it; it was theorized it would be here where the murder occurred. Oddly enough, there wasn’t any blood on the fans; the blood spatter was more in front of it, slightly behind the damaged fans.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Ventilation System Directions _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. Closer inspection on the mapping of the ventilation system revealed it did not cross over through Byakuya’s quarters (alongside Taka, Mondo, Junko and Celestia) through anywhere except through Hifumi’s, meaning that Togami had to have taken the long route around.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Punctured Hole _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. Around where Togami’s body was discovered, it’s discovered from a top-down view that the vent gives eyesight around Chihiro’s room, and not far from the ventilation controls between Aoi’s and Yasuhiro’s rooms. It could have been just an old wearing on the school, but…”_ **

* * *

**(Music – Despair Syndrome (Ver. 2) –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom Entrance – 11:32 AM_

_“The time for investigating is officially OVER! Please report to the big, red entrance in the Main Hallway, if you will!”_

Everyone did, post-haste no less. It’s hard to say that everyone present isn’t terrified; some are handling it better than others (Leon’s, rather worryingly, got used to everybody’s constant accusations of him) while others looked quite scared (Chihiro, Aoi, Sayaka and, much as he didn’t want to admit it, Makoto)… but none were to prepare any of them for the revelation that would happen next.

“Okie-dokie, you _all_ seem to be accounted for. Excellent!” Monokuma chuckled while all fourteen students glared at him. “Now before you begin, I _figured_ you might as well take a peek at the rules really quickly now, no? There’s some… _interesting_ revelations to be had.”

Everyone paused for a second, but they did so pretty quickly. And Makoto felt chills run down his spine upon seeing what he did.

* * *

  **Rule #1:**  Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

 **Rule #2:**  "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

 **Rule #3:**  Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

 **Rule #4:**  With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

 **Rule #5:**  Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.

 **Rule #6:**  Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

 **Rule #7:** Complete destruction of school property is forbidden, but tampering with it and/or damaging it is allowed in the case of fueling creative murders. This rule is not applicable to any of the aforementioned mechanics of Rule #5.

 **Rule #8:**  Regularly scheduled meal intervals occur between 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM (Breakfast), 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM (Lunch) and 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (Dinner), with an opportunity at 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM for Dessert. Pre-cooked food shall be serviced to the students during this time; eating beyond these allotted intervals are strictly prohibited.

 **Rule #9:**  Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.

 **Rule #10:**  If the guilty party is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.

 **Rule #11:**  If the guilty party is not exposed, they alone will graduate, and all remaining students will be executed.

 **Rule #12:**  Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.

* * *

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom Entrance – 11:37 AM_

“E-Executed…?! _WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”_

Hifumi’s utter shock may have been exaggerated, but only slightly so; _everyone_ was now fearing for their lives at this very moment, feeling a distinctive chill run down their spine. Sayaka, now white as a sheet, capped off this fear with a horrified shudder.

“Y-You mean that…” Sayaka gulped. “If the blackened gets away with the murder… they go free while everyone else dies…?!”

“Basically!” Monokuma cackled as Sayaka looked on in terror. “You _better_ not screw up kiddos; it’d _suuuuuuuuuck_ if I just have to kill all of you except the blackened! So try to put up a good trial, mmkay?” Monokuma gave a teasing wink as if to taunt the students in all their horror. “Now then, be a bunch of good little monkeys and proceed into the elevator! Good luck and… oh, well, _try_ not to crap yourselves, mmkay?”

 _Everyone_ stared blankly. Some at the e-Handbook’s screen, some at Monokuma… some at each other. But all knew they had to put one food in front of the other. Monokuma’s willing to kill them if they fail, much less the likelihood of death being a possibility if they refuse. Nervously – and numbly – all fourteen students proceeded into the elevator.

“Alrighty! Goooooooood luck, children! Now…” Monokuma grinned. “Junko, be a dear and pull the lever, hmm?”

Junko shot a terse glare at the bear, muttering something silent before pulling the lever.

And just like that, gone was any chance of escape.

**(Music – Elevator Ambience –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xknoHoMtpus>)**

It honestly felt lie descending into Hell; each creak and bump sent shivers down Makoto’s spine. He was hardly afraid of elevators or anything of the sort, but given the context… he was unnerved by all of this. Leon felt jittery too (and who wouldn’t be when you’re the main source of suspicion?), but both boys felt more at ease when Sayaka held both boys’ hands in separate hands.

“Hey, I…” Sayaka turned to Leon first; the subsequent statement has her attention turn to Makoto. “Leon… I’m sorry for doubting you. And if you feel afraid, know that I’m on the same boat as you. And Naegs, I… thank you for everything. And remember to believe in yourself, okay?”

Sayaka, however scared she was, gave a small, forced smile. “And no matter what happens… always believe in yourself. Okay?”

Leon and Makoto turned to Sayaka before nodding gently, giving equally forced smiles. If Sayaka was really genuine about her comfort, why did it sound like an empty platitude? Then again, it’s hard to be comforted when your lives hang in the balance, but… even if it is the thought that counts, why does it feel so _empty_ when it means so well?

Makoto’s thought processes were interrupted by a janky stop.

_*ding!*_

The doors open. And the sight was unbelievable.

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

A neon room almost as far as the eye can see; regal, red dressings almost out of a castle, but it has a distinctive cyber-punk feeling to it. A hologram reading **“CLASS TRIAL IN PROGRESS”** was hovering around the room through some untold technology on display, and where the podiums were… well, they were similarly high-tech, with a screen in front of them, as well, as holograms of each of their names… and their seats. But Byakuya’s one was the most haunting.

It had a red “x” on the hologram.

“Jesus Christ, can’t you _possibly_ get more fucking stupid than this?!” Junko hissed. “Seriously! This looks like a fucking waste of time and resources – “

 _“Shut up.”_ Surprisingly, Junko did just that, still looking visibly frustrated. Regardless, Monokuma continued on without so much as a word. “Aaaaaaaaaaanyway, welcome to the first ever Killing School Life Class Trial! Fun fact: this was actually where the debating club used to argue, buuuuuuut… well, it was tacky as hell! I’ve given it _more_ than a fair share of renovations.”

As each of the students hissed at Monokuma, the electronic bear continued. “Now, all of you: find your assigned seats! I’ll go to mine, if you don’t mind.~”

And just like that, he hopped directly onto some sort of throne standing high above everyone else… and as Makoto soon went to his seat (as did everybody else), Makoto soon saw a vacant seat directly in front of him. Possibly due to being comforted by the fact Sayaka sat adjacent to him, he decided to make this fact known.”

“Umm, excuse me… question.” Makoto was almost hesitant to ask, but he nonetheless pushed his question through. “Why is there sixteen seats instead of fifteen?”

“Eh, no reason; that’s how just the debate club originally designed this place!” Monokuma smiled gleefully. “Now then… should we get this trial underway as we should?”

That sentence sent shivers down Makoto’s spine. It likely did the same for everyone else.

Thus, booted up a screen on his podium containing all sorts of critical information; evidence, faces, a… voting section? Regardless, he shook his head quietly and pushed these thoughts to the side, determined to focus exclusively on what’s right in front of him: the trial.

He couldn’t fail. Not when not just _his_ life was at stake, but everybody else’s was; Makoto knew deep down he could _not_ lose this case, and he knew that no matter what he’ll do, _somebody_ is going to die as a result. And either it’s the blackened… or everybody else _other_ than him.

He can’t lose. He _can’t die here._

………

……

…

**_Chapter 1: A Wolf Amongst Shepherds – KILLING LIFE END_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 14_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who’s hyped for the next chapter? I certainly am! :D
> 
> Seriously, I’m honored this has gotten so much attention! Thanks a bunch for all the support you’ve given me; I look forward to seeing all your theories, and do forgive me for cutting some of the non-essential stuff, haha! I just hope you look forward to the trial two parter that will happen next time, as I myself will have to contest with my other story, Fall With The Petals.
> 
> Well, I hope you guys had fun! Until next time!


	6. Chapter 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds (Class Trial; Part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, the class trials finally begins. With Byakuya Togami murdered in cold blood in inexplicable circumstances, who could've done it? Who could've mangled somebody's face in such a bizarre fashion!
> 
> Tune in to fine out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand we’re back! Sorry it took so long, guys. Winter finals have been hell.
> 
> Several things to keep in mind, guys. Due to the nature of class trials in Danganronpa, I’m going to try to as seamlessly integrate “gameplay” into story, without interfering with the actual narrative. It’ll be tricky to pull off, but hopefully I get it right as of the time of this writing. I hope you all enjoy, though!

**(Music – Trial Underground –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2mHIL_akuM>)**

**_ Truth Bullet – Monokuma File #1 _ **

**_“Victim: Byakuya Togami. The time of death is estimated to be at around 12:10 AM. The body was discovered at 8:00 AM by Makoto, Leon and Kiyotaka; Makoto passed out upon seeing the body. Cause of death is identified to have be caused through severe facial damage.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Bloodied Baseball _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. A bloodied baseball that was discovered neared the ventilation system. If the baseball seems to be the murder weapon, then that means that Togami’s face would’ve only shattered through an incredible degree of force; something only the Ultimate Baseball Star would be capable of. If it’s proven that the baseball killed him, this trial’s over.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Togami’s Shattered Face _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. Whatever the murder weapon was, it utterly shattered Togami’s face; it would’ve been impossible to recognize him if it wasn’t for his equally-broken glasses. As concluded earlier, an insane amount of force or damage had to have been done to render his face so unrecognizable.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Bloodied Screwdriver _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. Upon closer inspection of the body, its discovered that a bloodied screwdriver was underneath Togami’s side. Two theories spring from this: either that it was either his means to get into the ventilation system, his murder weapon, or both, or it was somebody else’s screwdriver. Either way, it’s definitely a given that whoever killed Togami used this to retrieve his body, which begs the question who the screwdriver belongs to….”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Open Bathroom Vent _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. The ventilation leading inside the system was pried opened, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. It can be confirmed from this point that the blood was pushed into the ventilation system.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Trail of Blood _ **

**_“Discovered In: Makoto’s Room. There’s a clear trail of blood that came from Makoto’s bathroom vent. It’s clear that the body was dragged to Makoto’s room, where it was discovered.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Leon’s Account _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. If Leon’s account is to be taken into consideration, then that means that the fans started making its screeching noises at midnight. His response was to throw the baseball into the ventilation shaft to shut the noise up. Leon’s merely assuming it was midnight at the time; he was too tired to check.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Leon’s Possible Alibi _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. If Leon’s account (see Leon’s Account) is truthful, then that means that he has no reason for having thrown the ball into the vent in the scenario of him tampering with the fans; it would make no sense that he could have killed Togami in that scenario, given he would know beforehand about the ventilation being tampering. If it’s proven that it wasn’t the baseball that killed Togami, then he should be absolved of any major suspicions towards him.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Celeste’s Account _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. Celeste states that the conditions for investigation were “dreadful” due to the heated temperature. Upon further investigation, it was discovered the fans were damaged on top of it, which implies that there’s truth to Leon’s merit as well. Celeste’s account was proven by the fan’s damaging.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Cut Wires _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. As observed by Kyoko, the ventilation system has been damaged – specifically two wires were, a red and blue one. The red one, strangely, looked almost gnawed, as it was not a clean cut. The blue one remained intact; though it is currently unknown what the wires due to the system dying due to power loss, it can be assumed the red wire stops the system or at least cuts power for temporary routing; that explains why the fans were making that noise from last night, at least according to Leon.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Toko’s Absence _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. For whatever reason, Toko was greatly upset by Togami’s demise. She spent a large part of her time grieving his death. Not only that, but she refused to partake in the investigation due to all the blood involved. Given the fact that Togami’s body was moved and her nauseous reactions to blood, it’s worth assuming she has an airtight alibi.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Tampered Ventilation Controls _ **

**_“Discovered In: Dorms. The ventilation system has been completely tampered with as to facilitate the murder; whether or not the baseball killed her or the vent, it was used to help make sure Togami died in the fashion he did. As of this writing, the majority of the students seem convinced that Togami was killed by a baseball.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Damaged Fans _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. The fans were damaged, but not visibly; they reportedly made a screeching sound before shutting down completely. This could be a side-effect of the power being cut, but…”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Bloodied Vent _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. Bizarrely, the area where the fan was had blood spattered over it; it was theorized it would be here where the murder occurred. Oddly enough, there wasn’t any blood on the fans; the blood spatter was more in front of it, slightly behind the damaged fans.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Ventilation System Directions _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. Closer inspection on the mapping of the ventilation system revealed it did not cross over through Byakuya’s quarters (alongside Taka, Mondo, Junko and Celestia) through anywhere except through Hifumi’s, meaning that Togami had to have taken the long route around.”_ **

**_ Truth Bullet – Punctured Hole _ **

**_“Discovered In: Vents. Around where Togami’s body was discovered, it’s discovered from a top-down view that the vent gives eyesight around Chihiro’s room, and not far from the ventilation controls between Aoi’s and Yasuhiro’s rooms. It could have been just an old wearing on the school, but…”_ **

………

……

…

**_CLASS TRIAL, ALL-RISE!_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 14_ **

* * *

**(Music – Class Trial: Dawn Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOtvk2-dgHY>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 12:00 PM_

“Now that everybody’s situated, it’s time to explain once more what’s a class trial!”

Monokuma’s voice sounded almost cheerful as he said that, which was certainly dissonant with the dread the fourteen students present felt. “Let’s review the rules one more time: you must debate amongst yourselves over “whodunnit,” and successfully pinpoint the blackened! If you pick the right suspect, I’ll execute the blackened and everyone lives to see another day! However, if you pick the _wrong_ one…”

Monokuma broke out in an eerily sinister smile. “…I’ll execute everybody _aside_ from the blackened, and the blackened gets to graduate and leave this academy! With that out of the way, _let’s get this super-cool, super-awesome, super-cool-awesome-to-the-max trial UNDERWAY!”_

“Oh, and before I forget…” Monokuma’s cheer was disrupted by another smile. “Once you all decide to come down to the voting process, voting for a suspect is mandatory… _on the pain of death._ Sooooooooooo you better vote for _someone!”_

“Before we begin though, something’s been bugging me.” Kyoko seemed eerily serene for somebody who seems bothered by something. “Togami’s seat… it has a hologram sign displaying his face in an ‘x’… not to sound redundant, but what’s that supposed to mean?”

Everyone turned to the holographic sign of Togami’s face crossed out, and Monokuma explained. “Ohhh, it’d be a _shame_ if we couldn’t have everybody present here, y’know? So even through mortality’s great barriers, friendship lives on!”

Celeste was pretty tactless in her reply. “So in short, you wish to torment us all by reminding us of who lived and who died?”

“Ohhhh, well y’know…” Monokuma chuckled darkly. “That’s _one_ way of looking at it.”

“I…” Chihiro wrung her hands together, trying not to cry.

“I-I’m still in shock in all this… T-Togami is…” Toko shook away her tears. “…I don’t want to think about it right now.”

Aoi was quick to comfort the bespectacled writer. “I can’t blame you. Even if Togami was a jerk, he… he didn’t deserve to die like that. Nobody does.”

Toko sniffled a bit, giving no reply. Mondo, of course, was quick to interject.

“Well, what the hell’re we gonna do?! Just sit around moping about this shit all day long?!” Mondo cracked his knuckles. “The least we can do is find whoever the fucker that killed Togami is, so I can personally drag him to the depths of Hell and _beat the shit out of him there!”_

Sayaka, Chihiro, Toko and Makoto all flinched at the intensity of that comment, but Hifumi, for one reason or another, wasn’t as phased. “Well, as crude as Master Mondo’s statement was… he isn’t incorrect. We gotta keep on keeping on, ya know?”

“I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment!” Taka was quick to follow up. “If we want to give the late Togami the due respect he deserves, _we need to figure out whom his killer is!_ Now, everybody close your eyes, and raise your hands if you’re the killer!”

“Dude, you actually think anyone would fall for that lame trick?” Yasuhiro sighed exasperatedly. “The killer won’t expose themselves without a fight!”

**(Music Abruptly Stops)**

“I don’t think that’s quite necessary, Hagakure-kun.” Celeste leaned in to give an intimidating little stare. “In fact, we already know who the killer is.”

“H-Huh?” Chihiro blinked. “We… do…?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Celeste nodded before pointing an accusatory finger at a certain red-head. “Leon Kuwata… you were the one who ended up murdering Byakuya Togami, weren’t you?”

_“W-What?!”_

**(Music – Nightmare in the Locker –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_bLcY6c3os>)**

Leon was left slack-jawed in surprised, but he was quick to interject. _“N-Now hold on a second! I didn’t kill him, I swear!_ Please, ya gotta believe me – “

“Why _should_ we believe you, though?” Celeste didn’t even to look the panicky Leon in the eyes. “The murder weapon was clearly a baseball. You have a throwing speed of 101 miles per hour. _What else could it be other than you, whom all the evidence point it towards?”_

“Ack!” Leon winced. Kyoko was quick to come to his defense.

“With all due respect Celeste, _anybody_ could’ve used the baseball in that instance. Leon was merely the thrower, wasn’t he?” Kyoko leered towards Celeste. “It could’ve been used _after_ it was thrown into the vent, after all.”

“Well… as much as I’d like to believe Leon’s evidence, he’s the only one among us who has all the evidence link back to him.” Sakura shook her head. “We mustn’t steer our eyes from the truth.”

“Yeah… as much as I hate to admit it, we can’t assume Leon’s innocent until proven otherwise.” Sayaka gave a sad glance. “I don’t want to believe he could’ve done it, but… what other choice do we have? We’re in a life and death situation after all and… I don’t want to die here…”

“F-Frankly? Sayaka-chan’s c-correct. There’s _no_ choice in the matter here.” Toko gave a _hateful_ glare towards Leon. “H-He’s the only one who could’ve committed this crime, th-the bastard. How c-could anybody live with himself for murdering somebody so c-cruelly?!”

“W-Wait! _I’m tellin’ ya, you got the wrong person!”_ Leon cried out as everyone continued to stare at him, while Makoto simply looked on with a concerned expression written all over his face.

 _(This isn’t good, at all…)_ Makoto thought to himself. _(If everybody thinks Leon committed the crime, then… I wouldn’t know what would happen to us. Could it be he’s telling us the truth and we don’t even realize it? Or… could he be lying? …no. I have to believe in him, just as he would believe in me. I gotta steer this trial on the right path!)_

And thus, the discussion began.

**(Music – Discussion: Break –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88RNU7oWrDE>)**

**_NON-STOP DEBATE!_ **

**_= > Monokuma File #1_ **

**_= > Leon’s Account_ **

**_= > Celeste’s Account_ **

**_= > Bloodied Baseball_ **

**_= > Togami’s Shattered Face_ **

“Okay, so it’s worth reviewing the circumstances for a moment.” Celeste seemed non-plussed. “How about we talk about how Togami died?”

Chihiro seemed perplexed. “You mean how **the baseball k-killed him**?”

“Precisely.” Celeste nodded. “It seems as though when Leon threw the ball into the ventilation shaft, it went around and hit him straight in the face!”

“But… why would he even be in the vent in the first place?” Aoi was just as confused, if not skeptical.

“Simple: **with the intent to commit murder**. That’s why his screwdriver was found underneath his corpse!”

Toko hissed. “H-How dare you say the late Togami committed murder like that…!”

“After being grievously wounded by the baseball, **he tried to crawl out, ended up in Makoto’s room,** **and died on the spot!”**

“W-What?!” Leon hollered. “That’s freakin’ crazy!”

“Even if it’s crazy, we don’t seem to have anything else to go on…” Sakura thought to herself. **“It seems Togami somehow survived his injuries.”**

**_“NO, THAT’S WRONG!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Solar Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8trVirJLDoA>)**

“…I don’t think that’s correct.” Makoto thought to himself. “The death couldn’t have been anything other than instantaneous.”

“Oh?” Celeste tried her best to keep a smile hidden, despite her genuine surprise. “Why do you say that?”

“Because you gotta look at what happened to Togami’s face.” Makoto tapped along at the pad to bring out a hologram of Togami’s bloodied, mutilated face for all to see.”

“W-Woah! That’s fuckin’ gnarly…!” Mondo was more than a little taken aback.

 _“E-Eeek! D-Don’t show it to me!”_ Toko was quick to shield her eyes. “I-I can’t take blood…!”

“Err… sorry, Toko-chan.” He brought down the hologram to help the poor girl out. “Point is, Byakuya suffered numerous fractures to his skull and some damage in the brain… if it really was the baseball that killed him, then the death would’ve been instant.”

“Makoto-kun’s right on the nose.” Kyoko, who strangely remained silent during the discussion, was quick to interject. “I think it’s doubtful that Togami would’ve survived that kind of cranial trauma. Chances are the killer went into the vent and dragged the body out.”

“So that means… the body was dragged out _after_ he was killed?” Hifumi seemed to be deep in thought. “Byakuya’s kinda heavy and tall… how would he have pulled that off?”

“So you’re assuming that girls _aren’t_ capable of moving corpses around? Wonderful.” Celeste rolled her eyes before going back onto the task at hand. “Anyway, it seems that Makoto isn’t _completely_ wrong… I seem to have been mistaken in thinking that Togami survived those injuries.”

Toko simply glared. “W-Well, obviously… a-anybody with a half-a-brain c-could’ve figured that out…”

Celeste gave an even _worse_ glare. “Shut up or I’ll _make_ you half-a-brain.”

“E-Eep!”

**(Music – Class Trial: Dawn Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOtvk2-dgHY>)**

“Well… guys, do you see what I mean now?! Naegs is totally right!” Leon grumbled angrily, placing his hand behind his head. “I didn’t even _go_ into the vents last night! There’s no way I could’ve moved the body on my own!”

Makoto, who was strangely quiet after that inconsistency was pointed out, interjected as well. “Yeah… Leon would have to get into the vent and move the corpse around… moving it to my room. I doubt he would’ve done that to me, as a friend.”

“That seems to be another logical conclusion! But…” Aoi thought to herself some more. “Doesn’t that, like, do nothing to necessarily prove that Leon’s innocent?”

“I gotta agree with Toko. All Naegs proved was that Byakuya died on the spot when the murder weapon – the baseball – hit him square in the head. We still aren’t aware of how Leon could be innocent or if it could be anybody else. So… out of everybody here, he seems to be the most likely case. Sorry, Leon…”

“Wha… but…” A look of betrayal was spread across Leon’s face. “Sayaka, I…”

“W-Well, I don’t think Makoto nor Sayaka are wrong here. It still could’ve been Leon… but there’s always the possibility he couldn’t have committed the murder.” Chihiro was lost in her own thoughts. “We need to discuss it more, I think. So for now, we should assume Leon committed the murder… as a placeholder for the future.”

“Hmm… placeholder…? Really…?” Leon thought to himself as well. “But… I really didn’t do it, or at least… at least I don’t _think_ I did.” Leon sounded notably disheartened in that last statement.

“Well in any case, we shouldn’t have any more of these baseless interruptions, hmm?” Celeste cocked an eyebrow, still perplexed. “I still need to discuss how Leon – and _only_ Leon – killed Byakuya last night.”

“U-Urk…!”

As Leon flinched at that statement, Makoto continued to internally weigh his own options. _(Okay, so Togami was killed instantly… but… what else could prove he didn’t have anything to do with the murder…? Think, Makoto, think! You gotta piece together how else it could be possible that Leon’s innocent!)_

**(Music – Discussion: Break –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88RNU7oWrDE>)**

**_NON-STOP DEBATE!_ **

**_= > Bloodied Baseball_ **

**_= > Bloodied Screwdriver_ **

**_= > Open Bathroom Vent_ **

**_= > Monokuma File #1_ **

**_= > Trail of Blood_ **

“I suppose there’s no harm in going from the top once more.” Celeste paused for a moment to think about what she wanted to say before continuing. “So, as I’ve stated, **Leon was the one who threw the baseball, and that would go on to fatally injure Togami.”**

Yasuhiro shook his head. “Yeah, yeah… we knew that already, damnit!”

“But… if the baseball really did smash Togami’s face open…” Chihiro looked suddenly sullen. “…why isn’t the baseball missing?”

“Well, **the baseball had to have rolled out** after it hit Togami in the head!” Aoi seemed confident in her answer.”

“Hmm…” Sayaka nodded in approval. “Are we certain that’s it? Somebody strong had to move the body…”

“I agree with Sayaka, but the baseball should’ve been missing…” Chihiro tried not to cry. **“I don’t think it makes sense Leon would’ve left it like that…”**

**_V-CONSENT – “I agree with that!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Future Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjiB9jk8iEc>)**

“…no, Chihiro’s absolutely correct.” Makoto shook his head. “It wouldn’t make any sense for the baseball to still be there if it was in the vent.”

Kyoko, meanwhile, had an impressed smile on his face. “I see you noticed it too. You’re quite attentive, aren’t you?”

As Makoto turned red from that flattering remark, Sakura looked ever the more curious. “Hm? Why could it be that Chihiro-chan’s right?”

“Y-Yeah…” Chihiro was also blushing. “It was just a hypothesis…”

“A hypothesis that still has merit to it.” Kyoko gave an ensuring nod towards Chihiro, before turning to Makoto. “Naegi, can you tell them?”

 _(Always me who has to do the logical heavy lifting, huh…? Fine…)_ Makoto washed away those snarky thoughts as he explained.

“Well, we have to look at everything from a killer’s point of view.” Makoto nodded. “If Leon threw the baseball, killed Togami with it, and then went into the vent to drop the body into my room… why wouldn’t he take the baseball and hide it in his room?”

“I see where you’re getting at…” Junko interjected. “But seriously, would it really be possible in this instance? I mean, shit, it could that the baseball could’ve rolled out of where it was thrown and into Makoto’s room! Don’t think that’s a theory worth dismissing, isn’t it?”

“No, that would be impossible.” He then brought up a screen showing proof as to why that isn’t the case.

“…wait, what?” Junko almost looked surprised – and arguably intrigued.

**_== > Truth Bullet: Ventilation System Directions_ **

“Look at this: the only way to cross the vents from the isolated room is through Hifumi’s quarters, then looping back around to Leon’s and finally, my room.” Makoto nodded as he summarized his explanation. “In short, I don’t think it’s possible the baseball would’ve been left there by accident; even if Leon’s throwing speed is incredible, a lot of the speed would be lost after hitting Togami’s face, and it would’ve taken too long for it to roll back into my room.”

“I see! Master Naegi seems to have merit to his claims.” Hifumi puffed his nostrils. “And given the fact that the killer would’ve likely retrieved the ball, well… I don’t think Leon would’ve done it, in all sincerity.”

“So wait…” Celeste seemed stunned, but almost impressed. “So that means… Leon would be innocent in that instance!”

“Of _course_ I would be, ya idiot!” Leon groaned audibly. “I was _telling you from the start_ that I had an alibi!”

“Right. And from there onwards, that would be your proof!” Makoto pointed his finger to nobody in particular other than to demonstrate his triumph. _“Leon couldn’t have possibly committed the murder in this instance!”_

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

**_“Y-Your logic needs revision…!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

“Huh?!” Makoto blinked as Toko was glaring directly at him. “W-Why the long face, Toko?”

 _“Don’t lie to me! E-Everything you’ve said up to this point is c-complete garbage!”_ Toko hissed. _“Fiction! Lies! Storytelling! And I’m about to prove you exactly why!”_

Makoto was taken aback by how _aggravated_ Toko sounded right this moment. Then again, after your crush was brutally murdered in the fashion he was, who _wouldn’t_ be? Taka, having remained uncharacteristically quiet up to this point, interjected.

“Hey, wait just a darn minute!” Taka glanced at Toko fiercely. “There’s always the possibility that Makoto could be right! _None_ of us have alibis after all, especially given how – “

 _“So what?! I-I’m not going to let a potential k-killer walk free!”_ Toko hissed. “And b-besides, you’ve remained deathly silent up to t-this point. Say what you w-will about Togami’s attitude… _nobody_ deserved t-the fate he did. A-And that’s why… _that’s why I’ll show why you’re wrong, Naegi!”_

**(Music – Rebuttal Showdown –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoSKrtqg00o>)**

**_REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN!_ **

**_= > Leon’s Account_ **

**_= > Celeste’s Account_ **

**_= > Open Bathroom Vent_ **

**_= > Trail of Blood_ **

**_= > Tampered Ventilation Controls_ **

Makoto was hardly a poet. In fact, he jokingly considers himself one of the most creatively-sterile people on the planet; he still remembers all the times a lot of creative projects back in school looked like a third-grader made them… despite being in _seventh-grade_ at the time. Still, if there was one way he could describe what happened next… it was almost as if words clashed with each other in a dance akin to swordplay. It was strange having a singular debate with somebody in a setting that demanded _everyone_ should speak up… but that’s exactly what happened all the same.

“A-Alright, if you really want to know…” Toko hissed between her teeth. “Let’s r-review why you’re lying! For starters, t-there’s the fact that Leon threw the ball _inside_ his room and into the vent! He d-didn’t get to _throw_ it inside the ventilation shaft! W-What’s more is that he could’ve missed it, _or_ it c-could’ve been too dark to see! There’s s-simply no chance anything of the sort is impossible!”

**_ADVANCE!_ **

“…wait a minute. Slow down for a second.” Makoto looked a little confused. “You’re stating hypotheticals. Do you have any evidence for this?”

“W-Who the hell _needs_ evidence?! We all know L-Leon w-was the murderer!” Toko was now getting _angry._ “S-Seriously, **who _else_ could it have been**?! He’s the only one who had any involvement with the ball! There’s no chance in _hell_ **anything else was involved**!”

**_“I’LL CUT RIGHT THROUGH THOSE WORDS!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Solar Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8trVirJLDoA>)**

Makoto deliberated on the question for what seemed like a second before coming to an answer.  “No, Toko. It’s impossible for Leon to have been involved – especially with the ventilation shaft.”

“W-What?” Toko growled darkly. “W-What the hell does that have anything to do with – “

“You need to let go of your opinion on Togami for a second to look at the facts.” Kyoko nodded. “As it stands, Makoto’s right on the nose. Mind if you explain?”

 _(Seriously?! Sheesh, thanks for the help, Kyoko… isn’t this, like, the second time you’ve asked me to explain this to everyone?! Jeez!)_ Makoto grumbled internally before doing as she asked.

“W-Well, let me put it like this.” Makoto was careful in his response, as if not to offend people like Toko.  
“The theory that Leon would have thrown the baseball makes no sense for one important reason: the fact the ventilation system was tampered with earlier in the night. If it’s really true that Leon threw the baseball that would’ve killed Togami, why would he tamper with the ventilation system anyways when he has a clear, killing shot?”

“Well… thinking about that, I can see where that logic would go.” Aoi hummed to herself for a second, clearly lost in her own thoughts. “I mean, Leon wouldn’t have any reason to mess with the wires, wouldn’t he? I mean, he’s already got “holy crap!” levels of throwing abilities already, so it’s not like he couldn’t make a clear shot!”

“That still, unfortunately, doesn’t account for absolving Leon.” Celeste twirled at her twintails. “It really could have been _Byakuya_ who tampered with the wires, seeing as though he was planning on – sorry, _considering_ on murdering somebody to escape. You can cease shooting me daggers, Toko.”

“Grrr…” Toko settled down in that moment.

“Well in that case, if you’re so unconvinced…” Makoto pressed a few buttons on his screen before bringing up a hologram. “You said it yourself, didn’t you Celeste? That the overall floor was rather stuffy?”

**_== > Truth Bullet: Celeste’s Account_ **

“You went on for an awful long time during the investigation over how miserable the heat was… and it _was,_ to be fair.” Makoto nodded. “But doesn’t this only mean that Leon’s further away from the scene of the crime? That goes to show the vents _were_ tampered with in concordance to Togami’s death.”

“Hmm… thinkin’ about it, yeah. Maybe the little dude’s got a point there… I mean, _I’d_ see no point leavin’ more evidence to implicate myself if I killed somebody!” Mondo smiled awkwardly before perking up. “E-Err, not that I did anythin’ of the sort!”

“I s-somehow find that hard to believe…” Toko rolled her eyes. “B-But yes. It _was_ stuffy in my room all night. Makoto could certainly testify to that much, now can he?”

“Huh?” Sayaka blinked. “He can?”

Makoto, almost in concordance with Sayaka’s surprise, paused before suddenly perking up. _(Holy crap, Sayaka’s right! I can! I’m on a roll today, hehe. Go me!)_ The Luckster simply gave a small smile of pride before getting to work. “Alright, to answer Toko’s question… I think I can present more evidence to back up her claim…”

**_== > Truth Bullet: Toko’s Absence_ **

“Because Toko was presumably grieving Togami’s death, she seemed to have been in her room for the duration of the investigation.” Makoto continued. “Since the wires leading into the ventilation system were cut, that would mean that it had to have been rather hot once the day truly began. In other words, it only further bolsters my claims that Leon’s innocent.”

 _“See?! Don’t you see?!”_ Leon, almost in direct response to that, beamed with glee. “I _told_ you I’m innocent, haha! But _nooooooooooo,_ you guys didn’t even bother to _listen_ to me, for crying out lo – “

 _“Shut up, and not so fast.”_ Celeste hissed. “Okay, so the room was hot during the daytime. Is _that_ what you’re claiming here? How on Earth does that relate to the fact a fiery will-o-wisp of a murderer bashed some rich boy’s brains out with a baseball?”

“Everything.” Kyoko’s response was taciturn.

“Y-Yeah… s-sorry, but I don’t think neither Makoto, Leon or Toko are lying.” Chihiro paused for a second. “Though given Leon’s a guy and the wires were cut earlier… wouldn’t that mean that the toolkit being used would be the defining factor here?”

“Huh?” Yasuhiro blinked. “Wait, how do _you_ know about the toolkits?! You’re a girl! You have a sewing kit, don’t you?!”

Chihiro, for one reason or another, remained silent.

“Well, it isn’t like Chihiro-chan doesn’t have a point either way.” Sakura crossed her own arms, deep in reminiscence. “Actually, could it be that Monokuma knows whether or not Leon’s toolkit was open? He monitors our lives here 24/7. Certainly he would have an idea whether Leon’s used his toolkit, wouldn’t he?”

“Hmm… that’s a very good question, Sakura-kun!” Taka smile quickly reversed. “…err, just to be certain. You _are_ a guy, right?”

Sakura tried her hardest not to look offended, but a smidgen of disappointment and mild sadness crossed her face, albeit more scolding than mad. “I’m a woman, like the other girls here. And here I thought you knew better…” She sighed deeply. “Well, everybody I know makes that mistake occasionally. No hard feelings.”

“Ah… _a-ah!”_ Taka was struck silent before suddenly bowing up and down repeatedly. “Forgive me, _forgive me, forgive me!_ I’m sorry, Sakura! I-I didn’t mean to assume you were a guy! Y-You just looked so masculine overall, and…”

 _“Jeez, stop it!”_ Aoi howled out. “You’re only making this _more_ embarrassing, dumbass!”

A light shade of red flushed onto Taka’s face, before the normally-boisterous hall monitor shrinked into his seat. “S-Sorry…”

Taka would take a while before he would speak up again.

“Well… regardless of what the idiot said there, he ain’t wrong. The key to breaking this case lies in seeing if he opened his toolkit.” Mondo flipped his pompadour.

“Well, if everybody’s too busy chattering like imbeciles…” Celeste groaned, a little sympathetic for Sakura. “Monokuma, I have a question. Do you know whether or not Leon opened up the toolkit? If not, may we temporarily suspend class to see if he did?”

“Ugggggh, _must you always go beyond the regularly-scheduled halftimes of these goddamn trials! THIS IS A COURTROOM, SISTER, NOT JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE!”_ Monokuma howled. “Ugh, _fine!_ It’s only for the reason of being deprived of my entertainment that I’m even _humoring_ you! Yes, yes, Senor Redhead didn’t even open his toolkit yet. I was hoping of not having to get to that point, but… blech. Talk about spoiling the fun.”

**(Music – Class Trial: Dawn Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOtvk2-dgHY>)**

_“Hahahahaha! Hell yes!”_ Leon grinned cheekily. _“See?! That proves I’m innocent, at last! Booyah!”_

“So, that confirms it.” Kyoko nodded. “Between the circumstances of Togami’s demise, the nature of the tampered ventilation system, and the chronological order at which it happened… it’s safe to assume Leon was being truthful when he said he was innocent.”

In a rare change of her usual eerie stoicism, Kyoko gave a small, comforted smile towards the wannabe rockstar. “Thank you for being truthful, Kuwata-kun. It’s a relief knowing that you were innocent all along.”

“Aww, no prob!” Leon smiled, before turning to Makoto. “But… thanks should be going to Naegs, really. I mean, the dude spearheaded the charge of proving me innocent!”

 _(Huh? I did?)_ Makoto, confused as ever, was going to ask those very words before realizing how rhetorical it sounded in his head. _(Yeah… actually, he’s right. Leon… honestly, I’m glad you’re not the killer too. I don’t think I can handle losing a friend. If I lost Sayaka or even Kyoko, I…)_

As if on cue, Sayaka spoke up. “Um, are we _really_ so certain that Leon’s innocent? Shouldn’t we look at it a little bit more? I’m mean, don’t get me wrong! I’m really happy my friend seems to be cleared of all charges so far, but… well, I’m cautious. I just… don’t want to die here…"

“We _all_ do, Little Miss Risette. You’re not particularly unique in that scenario.”

Celeste’s biting comment made Hifumi feel uncomfortable down south at a reference only _he_ would get.

“Still, as much as I hate to admit my faults, it seems… ugh.” Celeste seemingly gave a ragged swallow, as if bile rose in her throat. “…i-it seems I have made a mistake at assuming the popular theory. How egregious of me…”

“Well, can’t say I don’t blame you…” Taka crossed his arms, finally speaking after that embarrassment with Sakura. “I mean, it _did_ seem that way, right? But leave it to a smart killer to be able to get the job done in such a fashion...”

“Aww, c’mon Celes, chin up!” Hiro laughed. “It could be worse if Togami was in this trial. He’d probably say something along the lines of “It’s not so hard to _make_ mistakes when you already were born one in your mother’s eyes, you worm!” Seriously, Togami was a d – “

 _“QUIET BEFORE I TEAR YOUR EYELIDS OUT, YOU FILTHY WORM!”_ Celeste _shrieked_ angrily.

_“Augh! I-It was what TOGAMI would say, n-not me!”_

“Somehow I doubt that…” Sakura shook her head. “In any case, we’ve seemed to have hit a dead end, just as we seemed to have been reaching somewhere important in this case. While it _would_ be uncharacteristic of me to complain, I must say: trials are harder than the stories make them out to be.”

“Oof! Can’t blame you, Sakura.” Aoi winced. “Then again, those legal dramas make my head hurt…”

“Well… where else _should_ we go then?” Leon paused for a second before speaking up. “Maybe, uh, we should review it with everyone here over the nature of Togami’s murder? That way, we can get a better idea of how the crime was committed.”

“Well for the time being, we _can_ assume that the murder weapon was still a baseball… but Leon still threw it into the vent, right?” Junko seemed just as perplexed. “How did the killer get Leon’s baseball and throw it at him?”

**(Music Abruptly Stops)**

“U-Um…” Chihiro squeaked. “Maybe there was another baseball involved?”

 _Everyone_ turned to Chihiro in wild-eyed surprised.

“W-Wait a minute! Don’t just throw that out so casually!” Taka flinched before recomposing himself. “E-Er, why do you say that much?”

“Maybe the baseball wasn’t Leon’s baseball. The gym has a supply of all kinds of sports items, right?” Chihiro spoked, caution in how she handled the conversation. “So maybe the murder weapon was really one of the baseballs retrieved from there so they could k-kill Togami?”

Everyone stood there, stunned in silence.

**(Music – Nightmare in the Locker –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_bLcY6c3os>)**

“I… wait. _Wait a moment.”_ Celeste, for a change, lit up in shock. “So you’re telling me that _any_ one of us could have thrown the baseball? _Any one of us?”_

“Y-Yeah… that’s what I’m saying.” Chihiro carefully nodded. “Leon has the best throwing arm of all of us, but who says the k-killer didn’t throw the baseball, stun Togami, then bash him to death with it? I-It would certainly explain _why_ Togami’s face was reduced to a meatgrinder in such a state, anyways…”

**(Music Slowly Fades)**

Everyone only stood there _more_ stunned in silence.

“So… i-in that case…” Sayaka gulped, as if compounding the situation. “A-Any one of us that aren’t Leon could have done it…”

Silence.

More silence.

Then _mass panic._

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

To Makoto’s poor ears, _everybody_ was chattering with each other distinctively. In order, he heard Hiro, Celes, Junko, Leon and Mondo all at once talking in a flurry:

_“N-No way I’m the killer! I couldn’t – “_

_“Well_ you’re _certainly stronger than Taka – “_

_“Guys, calm the hell down – “_

_“Junko’s right, we can’t – “_

_“For fucks sake, don’t – “_

_Everyone_ was talking on each other, disorder fully sown within the courtroom. Out of everyone present, it was only him and Kyoko who remained calm. Looking Kyoko in the eye for only a second more was interrupted by the cries of Mondo, Taka and Hiro.

“F-Fucking _hell_ I would’ve killed Togami!” Mondo howled. “I don’t even have the _throwing arm for that shit!”_

“I-I wouldn’t have done it either!” Taka exclaimed loudly. “I-I _wouldn’t_ break my code of honor just to do _that_ much!”

“I was busy drinking last night, damnit!” Hiro said aloud, clutching his head. _“I would’ve been too sauced to have_ done _that!”_

_“I’M NOT THE FUCKIN’ KILLER!”/”I WOULD NEVER HAVE KILLED ANYBODY!”/”LIKE HELL I’M THE KILLER!”_

And then, panic evolved into _anarchy._

**(Music – Discussion - Panic (Sporting Hopefuls Mix) –<http://youtubedoubler.com/qxmj>)**

**_= > Monokuma File #1_ **

**_= > Bloodied Baseball_ **

**_= > Tampered Ventilation Controls_ **

**_= > Cut Wires_ **

**_= > Damaged Fans_ **

Makoto was always curious about the word ‘anarchy’. To him, it symbolized all the times he’s watched Mad Max dubbed in Japanese with Komaru. But he knew at this moment anarchy – and to that end, despair – was symbolized in fifteen terrified teems debating with each other incessantly for the right and honor to survive to see another day.

It wasn’t just unnerving. It was _disquieting._

 _“Like I said, I ain’t the fuckin’ killer!”_ _Mondo cried._ _“ **I simply am way too big to even pull that shit off!** ”/”C-Can we all calm down! Please?!” Chihiro was on the verge of tears. “Panicking isn’t helping anybody!”/”Seriously, chill out guys!” Leon yelled. “This ain’t gonna change the fact _somebody _is guilty!”_

_“Who said anything about h-having to go into the vent?! **Y-You could’ve just bashed him outside**!” Toko’s voice was shrill and panicky./”And what Chihiro-chan said! Panicking won’t get us anywhere!”/”S-Shut up! And besides, **are we really so certain you’re innocent, Leon**?!” Aoi looked angry, thinking with her heart than her head – no doubt due to all the emotion discharged in the courtroom._

_“W-What?! No! Of course not! Never in a million years!” Mondo retorted./”How d-do you know that, Chihiro? **T-There’s no indicator that anyone else could have done it**!”/”No! I believe in Leon!” Sayaka yelled. “And besides, **we’ve just proved he’s innocent, didn’t we**?!”_

**_“I HEAR YOU!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Future Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjiB9jk8iEc>)**

_“Everyone, calm down!_ Toko, you said something about there being no other possible avenue of murder, didn’t you?” Makoto glanced towards the bespectacled girl. “But… that’s not true. For all we know, _the damaged fans may be the key to the mystery!”_

“H-Huh?” Toko blinked. “W-What?”

“Well, it’s about time you’ve calmed down.” Kyoko nodded. “Naegi-kun, explain it to them again.”

 _(WHAT THE HELL IS WITH YOU MAKING_ ME _HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT TO EVERYONE?!)_ Makoto groaned internally before doing just that. “Okay, so… you know how Togami died around the fans? And we thought the baseball broke the fans when it was thrown?”

“H-Huh?” Aoi’s throat was still raw from all the yelling she did earlier. “W-What do you mean?”

“I _mean_ that in regard to the fan, it couldn’t have been damaged by the baseball.” Makoto brought up a hologram detailing the fan and the blood outlying it; Toko quickly shielded her eyes. “You see here how there’s no blood on the fan, but blood on the surrounding area?”

“Yeah, so?” Mondo blinked. “What’s so weird about that?”

“That’s the thing: _everything_ is wrong with that picture.” Makoto put away the hologram. “There’s blood on the surrounding area, but none on the fan. Doesn’t that strike everybody as odd at how out of place that seems? And more importantly… _doesn’t it give implication that the killer wiped away the blood from the fans?”_

“Wait… let me see if I understand this…” Sakura thought to herself. “So what you’re saying is that because there’s no blood on the fan, but blood on the surrounding area… could it be that the fan was used to kill Togami?”

 _“A-A fan?! Seriously?!”_ Aoi looked shocked. _“Sakura, is that even possible?!”_

“It is. And that may be the key to solving this murder.” Makoto nodded, sure of himself.

“W-Well, Leon managed to steer us right so far!” Leon nodded, slamming his fist into his hand brashly. “There’s no chance he can’t be wrong!”

“No chance?! _Seriously?!”_ Hiro cried out. _“NO WAY! THAT_ STILL _DOESN’T SHOW WHO THE KILLER IS!”_

“Hiro, p-please calm down!” Chihiro squeaked. “Y-You’re making everyone nervous!”

 _“Why shouldn’t I be nervous? I can assure you that I had NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, DAMNIT!”_ Hiro gripped his head and howled out. _“I’M INNOCENT, DAMNIT! I’M INNOCENT, AND I – “_

**_“I SEE THROUGH YOUR ARGUMENTS!”_ **

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma’s Extracurricular Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0JuVXTcUw>)**

_“IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY, WILL YOU SHUUUUUUUUUUT UP?!”_ Monokuma bellowed from his mighty throne before shaking his head. “Ugh! _Double Ugh! TRIPLE UGH!_ For the love of God, people, can’t you people debate _rationally_ for a change? It was so much more interesting when you sorry sops were _focused!”_

“Well sorry for panicking!” Aoi glared at the bear. “It’s not _our_ fault we’re afraid of being executed!”

“Well, not like it matters in any case, puhuhu.” Monokuma clasped his paws together. “In any case, _I officially declare halftime!_ Normally I like seeing the display of verbal anarchy and despair, but y’know what? It just _ain’t_ the same if you ain’t in a good place to debate! So get a snack, a drink, I don’t give a shit – we have a 15 minute recess before the trial continues! I hope you kiddos get your bearing by them, because it’d _suck_ if I had to execute you for this trial going on for too long! Puhuhuhuhu!”

Everyone fell silent in that moment. Leon was not one of those people.

“So we’re talking a break? Good.” Leon groaned. “God, I’m exhausted… I’ll happily take a break if it means that…”

**(Music Slowly Fades Out)**

After the chaos that had enveloped the courtroom mere moments ago, everyone was left thinking to themselves over what would transpire next – including Makoto. _Especially_ Makoto. He felt a dark churn in his stomach realizing they could _all_ be killed just for taking too much of Monokuma’s time. That’s what he meant, right?

Just _thinking_ about it make Makoto sick.

 _(No. No, damnit! We’ve made so much progress so far! We can’t just burn out now!)_ Makoto nodded quietly to himself.  _(No matter what it takes… and no matter how difficult it becomes… I will... WILL find the killer! I won’t let anybody innocent die any further!)_

Monokuma, with resounding finality, simply pummeled a gavel out of thin air. “Alright, children! _DissssssssssssMISSED!”_

………

……

…

**_CLASS TRIAL, ALL-RISE!_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 14_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, everyone! I hope it’s been worth the wait!
> 
> Y’see, finals proved to be my undoing and I had to devote my complete attention to that. Sucks, I know. But now that I’m in winter break, I’m back baby! Expect more updates soon!
> 
> See you guys then for who is the killer! Feel free to share your theories in the comments! ;)


	7. Chapter 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds (Class Trial; Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The killer is finally exposed, at last! Who is Togami's murderer, and who will be executed?! Tune in to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everybody! Hope you’ve had a nice winter, and here’s hoping 2019 will be better than this year.
> 
> Seriously though, I want to apologize again for the belated replies across the board. Life has just been a roller coaster for me in more ways than one, with a lot hanging on my ability to do good academically this year. Well rest assured that we’re gonna see the finale to this trial! Hold onto your butts, because this? This is gonna get _messy._
> 
> IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!

**_CLASS TRIAL, ALL-RISE!_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 14_ **

* * *

**(Music – Class Trial: Dawn Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOtvk2-dgHY>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 1:20 PM_

“Welcome back, one and all!” Monokuma chuckled exuberantly upon seeing all fourteen weary teenagers return to their podiums. “Enjoyed the fifteen-minute recess? Well, _hope_ ya did! Me, I’m just excited to see the conclusion to this _wonderful_ class trial!”

Indeed, everybody who was part of the first interim of the trial was back where they were situated earlier. Makoto, meanwhile, had a perplexed expression written all over his face. Mondo wasn’t as lost in his own thoughts.

“’Wonderful’ my ass!” Mondo roared loudly. “Aren’t _you_ the one who put us in this mess, ya fuckin’ bear?!”

“Oh, _come_ now! I was the one who issued an interim in case the both of you grew distracted! However…” Monokuma gave a little chortle. “This _is_ the _only_ other interim I’m even considering on giving you! So if you don’t reach a conclusion by the end of this second half, you’re gonna have to vote anyways! In other words, welllll… you better figure things out _soon_ if you don’t want to be executed! Puhuhuhu!”

“So… you’re planning on executing us if we don’t vote correctly, huh?” Leon gripped the bottle of Panta in his hand. “As if this whole mess wasn’t headache-worthy enough…”

“Hm?” Sayaka seemed awfully disconnected despite what Monokuma said. “Hey, Leon, why do you have a bottle of Panta in your hand?”

“Hm? Oh, this?” He looked at the fizzy grape drink and smiled softly. “Well, y’know how Mondo scored me in the head earlier? I’ve got pain medication in my pocket thanks to Kyoko, but my head’s been acting up again. So I figured I’d get a drink in order to guzzle the meds down.”

Leon’s smile reversed as he gave an agitated groan. “Ugh, _God,_ how much longer must this trial go on?! Seriously, my head hurts like hell! I just wanna go to bed, damnit!”

**(Music Stops)**

“Luckily for you, Leon… I think figuring out who the murderer _is_ shouldn’t take much more time than it needs to.” Kyoko nodded. “I think at this rate, we can assume the murder weapon _wasn’t_ the baseball.”

“Huh?” Chihiro blinked. “Wait. The murder weapon… _w-wasn’t_ a baseball?”

**(Music – Nightmare in the Locker –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_bLcY6c3os>)**

_That_ snapped Makoto out of it. Almost immediately, he added his two cents to the conversation. “Um, not to interrupt what Kyoko’s saying or anything… but I have a feeling she’s right on the money. I think we need to reexamine the nature of the murder itself.”

“Truly? Must we delay the inevitable any further than we _must?”_ Celeste almost sounded annoyed when she said that, but she breathed a steady air of defeat. “We’ve come far enough in this mess to know that the murder was committed _only_ with a baseball. For God’s sake, Monokuma _said_ on the intercom this morning that it took… well, it took “balls” to have to see Togami’s corpse! As abhorrently crude as that pun was, it certainly hints at what the murder weapon was.”

“Yeah… I gotta agree with Celeste here. I’m not convinced just yet.” Taka thought to himself before smiling. “But still… what if he’s just omitting the truth? I mean, I _want_ to assume he means well and all, but there’s always the possibility he could’ve attempted to mislead us.”

“Maybe Taka’s got a point there. Jeez, just _thinking_ about it gets my brain into overdrive!” Junko, despite her weariness, gave her best smile. “Okay dudes and dudettes, let’s see if we can’t look at the murder one last time!”

“A-And hopefully let Togami rest in peace.” Toko shook her head. “N-Nobody deserved his death, no matter how it was c-carried out.”

Makoto stood there, silent. _(Well, now that everybody’s calmed down from the halftime… maybe we can reexamine the nature of the murder scene. Is it really possible the murder weapon was a baseball? Or… was it something else entirely…? Regardless, I have to make sure we’re on the right path!)_

And with everybody’s minds cleared and ever so slightly rejuvenated, the trial began anew.

**(Music – Discussion: Heat Up –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0RKidkav6o>)**

**_NON-STOP DEBATE!_ **

**_= > Monokuma File #1_ **

**_= > Bloodied Screwdriver_ **

**_= > Punctured Hole_ **

**_= > Tampered Ventilation Controls_ **

**_= > Damaged Fans_ **

 “Well, if we _must_ revisit this trial again… I see no reason why not.” Celeste clasped her hands together as she continued. “So as we all know by now, we thought the nature of the murder occurred with the baseball… but there’s always the possibility the murder happen with the fan.”

“Yeah… that’s what I gathered too, truthfully speaking.” Hifumi laughed nervously. **“Though wouldn’t there be other means** to commit the murder?”

“I think we can narrow it down to those two, Hifumi.” Sayaka nodded. “But still… wouldn’t a set-up with the fans seem a little unrealistic?”

“I can see what she means by that.” Taka grimaced. “After all, **there couldn’t have been a means which the killer would know Togami-kun’s in the vent…”**

**_“NO, THAT’S WRONG!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Future Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjiB9jk8iEc>)**

“…wait.” Makoto quickly interjected as Taka was speaking. “Taka isn’t right. There _is_ a way to be able t see into the vent.”

“Huh?! Wait, really?” Aoi blinked rather dumbly. “I mean, wouldn’t that mean that the killer is psychic…? I don’t think there was any way to be able to peer into the ventilation shaft…”

“Yeah… normally I’m all over supernatural stuff, but I doubt that’s actually the case, man.” Hiro rubbed the back of his head rather awkwardly. “Besides, it isn’t like there was a _peephole_ for the killer to up and use like that.”

“Actually… no. There is.” Makoto brought up a hologram of the punctured hole in the wall. “You see this? That’s – presumably – the hole Byakuya made when he was planning to murder somebody.”

A death glare from Toko shut him up for a second. “E-Er, _considering_ on murder! S-Sorry, Toko… can you stop glaring at me like that…?”

“Grr…” Toko continued giving a dark stare, but she otherwise calmed down.

“T-Thanks. But as I was saying, the peephole is in close proximity with the ventilation system. That way – presuming I’m onto something here – the killer could’ve known when Togami was coming in, cut the wires therein, and murdered Togami with the fan therein.”

Makoto, as if to emphasize what he was saying, pointed his finger at nobody in particular. “To that end, it’s absolutely certain the murder weapon wasn’t the baseball!”

“Hmm…” Kyoko paused, as if to digest the information. “Yes, that seems quite reasonable. Though one has to wonder _how_ the baseball came into play.”

“Yeah, I gotta agree. I mean, it really doesn’t matter if the baseball I had was the same as the baseball from the gym.” Leon smiled rather happily. “The murder _had_ to have happened with the fan, right? There couldn’t have been any other means which the baseball would have been evolved aside from, say, the person already being dead!”

Sakura shook her head, slightly exasperated. “Well, that’s awfully strange coming from our first subject… but I don’t disagree with you. I think it’s reasonable to assume the murder _did_ occur with the fan.”

In that moment, Sakura gave a rather warm smile. “I must say Makoto, you really did a good job piecing two and two together. At this rate, discovering the true killer should be no problem whatsoever.”

**(Music Abruptly Stops)**

“W-What…?!” Celeste looked on in shock. “Are you truly going to give this imbecile the light of day?!”

**(Music – Finding Peace Party –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One782vERzc>)**

“U-Um… yes?” Chihiro was a little intimidated, but she nodded softly in reply. “W-Why _wouldn’t_ we? No offense, but Makoto’s been right on the nose every time he’s interjected… wh-while you still hold to your own theories. Which, um… _also_ have been faulty as well, and – “

 _“WILL YOU STOP?!”_ Celeste howled, before turning to the trembling and scared Chihiro and taking a deep breath. “…okay, sorry. But certainly, you must’ve always take what _he_ says all the time over me! The murder weapon happened _exclusively_ with the baseball! The collision managed to completely shatter Togami’s face! Or hell, the murder weapon could’ve been used as a _bludgeon_ than a thrown object! Everything leading up to this point only implies the murder weapon was _nothing else!”_

“Well… I can’t say I really disagree with her. Yeah, even in spite of her little tantrum.” Junko coughed. “Yeah, it seems likely the murder weapon’s happened with the fan… but why isn’t the baseball also a possibility? Both instruments, when applied with enough force, are capable of turning somebody’s face into a meatgrinder. I guess my point is that I don’t think we should so readily dismiss the possibility that the murder weapon _didn’t_ happen with the fan.”

“Yeah… sorry, but I gotta agree with Junko here.” Hiro rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I mean, really, the possibility’s still out there! We can’t _just_ get rid of the possibility there, man! That’d be like saying aliens aren’t real, and they sure as hell _are!”_

“Um…” Taka shook his head. “I doubt either of the two are the same…”

“Well, fuck that shit! Besides, who the hell would be crazy enough to pull off a murder with a _fan?!”_ Mondo howled. “In a man’s world, you gotta use your own damn wits and strength to bash some motherfucker’s head in!”

“Of course _you’d_ say that!” Aoi growled. Suddenly, in that moment, she calmed down. “Still… I mean, he isn’t _completely_ wrong either. I mean, none of us should forget _why_ we thought the murder weapon was a baseball! Because it was the most obvious avenue!”

“But what if we’re being misled?” Taka grimaced in that split second. “It’s like all of _you_ are saying right now, we can’t dismiss abstract possibilities!”

“Taka, I’m sorry to say, but…” Sayaka shook her head. “Some possibilities deserve more emphasis than others. Don’t forget what Monokuma said on the comms! How it has to same some, uhh… _fortitude_ to be able to see the body?”

“W-Well, yeah…” Taka shook his head. “But still, I… ugh! I don’t even know _what_ to think anymore!”

“So. It seems we’re back to square one yet again; unable to fully decide just _what_ direction to take this trial.” Celeste clicked her tongue. “Mon dieu… I am completely _surrounded_ by idiots.”

“Well… as much as I agree with Makoto and the rest… I don’t know _what_ to think anymore.” Chihiro drooped her head. “I mean, what could it be?”

“Well, I don’t think we should be dilly-dallying about what to do going forward! Sometimes ya gotta wing it!” Hifumi nodded resolutely. “We _can’t_ just get stuck when we’re still on a time limit!”

“Jeez… please, for the love of God, _don’t_ remind me…” Leon grimaced.”

“W-Well, regardless of my personal agreement towards the notion it was the baseball… Hifumi isn’t _completely_ incorrect. There has to be _some_ mean where the murder occurred, but… we still can’t decide.” Toko’s frustration gave way to an expression of mild defeat. “We’re completely split on the matter.”

**_“I SEE THROUGH YOUR ARGUMENTS!”_ **

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma’s Extracurricular Lesson –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0JuVXTcUw>)**

Monokuma, in that moment, came alive.

“…split? Did you just say… _split? **Split?! SPLIIIIIIIIIIIT?!”**_ Monokuma began flailing about. “This! Is! COMPLETELY FRIGGIN’ UNACCEPTABLE! No way in hell I’m gonna let this go into a trial of nothing but moping and whining!”

“Yet… that’s p-precisely what you’re doing…” Chihiro blushed. “Moping and, um… whining.”

 _“SHUT UP, CRETIN!”_ As Chihiro began blubbering in response, Monokuma cleared his throat. “In any case, this _needs_ to be addressed as soon as possible! I hereby present to all of you, one and all, the very existence of our own coliseum of verbal bloodshed: _the Morphenomenal Trial Grounds!~”_

Leon took a moment trying to comprehend around _that._ “Morphenomena… whuh?”

Kyoko, meanwhile, wasn’t as phased. “So basically, we’re to debate it out until we come to a conclusion?”

“Yep! It’d be _so_ boring if none of you came to _some_ kind of agreement! After all, what’s the hope of you youth’s future without harmony, hope and all that other bullshit?!” Monokuma cackled. “Welcome one, welcome all… **_TO THE DEBATE SCRUM!_** Participation is mandatory, and given how all of you fellas are split down the middle, well… let’s just say _some_ conclusion has to be reached, or it’s all game over from here! Puhuhuhu!”

“Mother of f – _ARE WE ACTUALLY DOING THIS?!”_ Mondo blew up in that second. “First we have to debate while our _lives_ are on the line, and now we have to do _more of that spunk_ only in a stupidly-flashy coliseum?! **_WHAT ARE WE, YOU RETARDED URSINE, YOUR PERSONAL MONKEYS?!”_**

Monokuma giggled. “This… may be the case.”

As everybody fretted around, Makoto simply chewed gently at his lip. _(So… this is what it’s all been coming to, right? If I don’t manage to steer this debate in the right discussion, everything’s lost! I have to make sure everybody listens to me… or we’re_ all _gonna pay the price.)_

Deep down, Makoto knows they’ve progressed too close to the truth to let up now. Not under a single given circumstance will he yield, and he’ll make _damn_ sure his voice is heard in this.

He can’t lose. He _won’t_ lose.

**(Music Stops)**

“Welp… no use delaying anything further!” Monokuma cackled. _“LET THE DEBATE SCRUM, BEGIN!”_

And then, something inconceivable happened.

**(Music – Debate Scrum –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUvQ5RlFV6A>)**

**_SPLIT OPINION!_ **

Monokuma, almost out of thin air, revealed a key that he soon jammed into a keyhole; he was quick to turn the key, almost unlocking something. It would be in that moment the chairs of everybody – including the deceased Togami – began levitating, soon ascending to the ceiling.

 _“W-Woah?!_ What the hell?!” Leon looked on, clinging to his podium. _“Holy crap, where are we going?!”_

Makoto soon – like everybody else – had their levitating seats put into a rather tight room, with Monokuma quick to follow in his own little throne room. Makoto, ever the astute one, was quick to notice the neon signs at where he was standing.

**_What Killed Byakuya Togami?_ **

**_“The Baseball Killed Togami!” >>>> <<<< “The Fan Killed Togami!”_ **

Makoto was quick to notice he was on the right side of that argument. Not morally or even factually, _literally_ right. He was standing to the right where to his left lied everybody else: Leon, Kyoko, Sakura, Chihiro, Taka and Hifumi. Makoto took a moment to glance over at Hifumi, who had some trouble getting into his spot due to his… girth.

“Hifumi! You’re on our side too? Um, I think?” Makoto blinked, nonetheless with a small smile on his face.

“Yep! Here in the flesh!” Hifumi pushed his glasses upwards. “Though of _course,_ there’s no lack of guarantee that we have to reexamine this trial! That’s certainly what some of the characters from my anime would do, anyways.”

“Oh, shut up, you tub of lard.” Celeste – who was _literally facing the opposite seat from Makoto_ – glared at the afar Hifumi, before turning to Makoto. It was then the Queen of Liars noticed herself that Aoi, Toko, Sayaka, Mondo, Hiro and Junko were on her side; the left side, to be specific.

In that moment, Monokuma interjected. “Now then! I suppose I have to explain the rules here, don’t I? Long story short, you have to debate it freely until you reach a conclusion! No leaving this stadium until all is said and done! And if you take too much time, well…” Monokuma chortled. “I’ll execute all of you! No if, ands or buts! Not even the mercy of a random guess down below will save you!”

 _Everybody_ reacted to that. _“WHAT?!”_

“You heard me right! Soooooo… you better start debating!” Monokuma chuckled. “Puhuhuhu… now then, let the Debate Scrum! Officially! _Commence!”_

**_DEBATE SCRUM START!_ **

“Well… I guess I have to start, hm…? No use delaying this any further.” Celeste cleared her throat. “Anyway, it’s **irrefutable** that the murder weapon was anything other than the baseball.”

**_“Taka!”_ **

“Are we really so certain about this, though?” Taka looked unconvinced for a moment. “Even _after_ the wires being tampered with?”

Hiro was quick to object to that. “Well _I_ think so, given the peephole! There’s no way to get the **timing** right!”

**_“Sakura!”_ **

“It’s more than possible to get _that_ part right.” Sakura nodded. “What matters more is _how_ the fan was used to kill Togami.”

Sayaka cleared her throat. “I doubt Togami is that stupid, though… maybe he was **pulled** in against his will?”

**_“Chihiro!”_ **

“N-No! I think Togami would have put up a fight.” Chihiro shyly interjected. “Maybe he c-came in the vent with the intent to kill?”

Toko reacted almost _viciously_ to that. “No, t-that can’t be! W-Why does the baseball **_exist_** then?!”

**_“Leon!”_ **

“Because it had to have been used as a decoy!” Leon quickly added. “The killer _wanted_ us to go down the wrong path here!”

“Then how was Togami’s face shattered into pieces then?!” Aoi exclaimed. “Wouldn’t the fan not been able to **grind** his face off?”

**_“Hifumi!”_ **

“No, it’s definitely possible.” Hifumi added. “The metal could’ve very easily tore his skin off like that!”

“So… what you’re tryin’ to say is that the killer lead us **astray**?” Mondo didn’t quite have it in him to roar like he usually did.

**_“Kyoko!”_ **

“We can assume that the fan’s safety was cut in perpendicular with the timing.” Kyoko nodded. “It’s absolutely within the realm of possibility.”

Celeste growled rather audibly in response to this. “So you’re telling me you’re basing off the fate of this trial on some useless, potential **conjecture**?!”

**_“My turn!”_ **

“Of _course_ we are!” Makoto nodded. “The evidence stacks up too much in that direction to say otherwise!”

**(Music – Class Trial: Future Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjiB9jk8iEc>)**

**_CROUCH BIND!_ **

And in that moment, all seven on the right side shouted in unison.

**_“THIS IS OUR ANSWER!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music Continues)**

* * *

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 1:42 PM_

After everybody returned to their seats after such a bombastic moment, Monokuma gleefully flailed around. _“That! Was! AWESOME!_ Seriously, we totally need to do that again sometime!”

“Yeah, yeah… that’s because you _made_ us do it, you friggin’ bear!” Hiro shook his head again.

“Well, regardless of what our thoughts on the whole spectacle was… I think we can all agree that the murder weapon wasn’t the baseball.” Makoto nodded. “There’s just way too much evidence pointing to the fan… and besides, I have something I want to show you all.”

Junko lit up. “Huh? Ya do?”

**_== > Truth Bullet: Damaged Fans_ **

“Look at the fans here. Do any of you notice anything strange?” Makoto brought up a hologram of the fans as if to illustrate his point.

“Um… all I’m seeing is a bunch of fans with blood around it…” Aoi winced. “Sorry man, you lost me.”

“That’s the thing: why isn’t there blood on the fans all the same?” Makoto continued. “If the baseball really _did_ kill Togami, why wouldn’t there have been blood splattered all over? We could’ve assumed the fan was damaged because of the throw, but in that case, it still had to have gotten _some_ blood on it…”

Sakura quickly put two and two together. “…yet because there isn’t a speck of blood on the fans, that only further implicates the possibility the fan was used. That _is_ what you’re saying, right?”

“Correct. The killer used some means or another – likely their clothing – to wipe the bloodied fan clean. With them going through the vents and easily able to access their room, nobody will know that they’ve used their clothes to clean it… and more than that, it further illustrates the fact nobody had an alibi in the murder.”

“I-I think I get where you’re coming from.” You could almost see the gears going on in Chihiro’s head. “Because the fan was wiped clean and yet the rest of the room is bloodied… that goes on to show that the murder couldn’t have happened because of the fan?”

“Precisely. Going by what Makoto is saying, this leaves two possibilities as to why the vents weren’t cleared.” Kyoko finished. “Either the killer was negligent, or trying to mislead us on the nature of the murder. Given the surprising clandestine nature of this case, I think we can assume it’s the latter.”

“So… that would mean that t-the baseball _wasn’t_ used?!” Toko looked on in wide-eyed surprise.

**(Music – Class Trial: Dawn Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOtvk2-dgHY>)**

_“You fuckin’ bear! You mislead us with that body announcement!”_ Mondo roared in fury. _“Why the fuck you try to pull that BS with us, ya asshole?!”_

“Mmm… well, frankly, it would be _so_ boring if I had to spill everything out for you!” Monokuma chortled. “Now that you’ve figured out the _true_ murder weapon, I’ll just give a friendly tip for future reference: unless the murder weapon is painfully obvious, I’ll leave it to speculation! How’s that sound?”

“So… you _were_ lying to us. Mostly by omission, yes, but that’s besides the point.” Celeste shook her head. “I’ll give you credit where it’s due, you’re a phenomenal charlatan. I’ll have to double my efforts in reading you like a book, Monsieur Monokuma.”

“Well… even if he _did_ lie to us, we at least know what the murder weapon is now!” Leon smiled. “That’s a step forward! Now we gotta learn _who_ did it, since we’ve got the where and how figured out!”

“That _is_ progress, I certainly agree!” Hifumi grinned. “Well, there’s certainly no shame in reviewing this a little more. Mind if we see through this case again, Master Monokuma?”

“Oh… why not. We’ve got some time to burn in any case!” Monokuma chortled. “Though let me all remind you, you’re _all_ still on a time limit! I’m patient with you now, but even a sagely fellow such as myself has limits!”

“Ugh… please, don’t remind me…” Taka winced in that moment.

“W-Well, what are we waiting for?!” Aoi howled. “No use sitting on our butts doing nothing! We gotta figure out the perpetrator now that we have the nature of the crime figured out!”

Makoto fell into a dour silence once more. _(For some reason, I have a bad feeling as to who the killer could be… but I gotta keep my wits about me. I have to figure out who else could have committed the murder!)_

**(Music – Discussion: Break –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88RNU7oWrDE>)**

**_NON-STOP DEBATE!_ **

**_= > Tampered Ventilation Controls_ **

**_= > Cut Wires_ **

**_= > Bloodied Screwdriver_ **

**_= > Damaged Fans_ **

**_= > Punctured Hole_ **

“O-Okay! So, to recap…” Chihiro began. “W-We can assume the murder happened with the fan. But who could have done it?”

 **“Obviously the person who had a toolkit!”** Taka quickly interjected. “Certainly there would have be no other way the crime could have taken place!”

“Yeah… yeah, that sounds right!” Sayaka interjected. “The guy’s toolkit has wire cutters! **That was what was used to cut the safety and kill Togami!”**

“So that would mean… a guy had to have done it.” Leon thought this through. “And yet, I have an alibi, so…”

“So what you’re telling me is that **we have no evidence suggesting that the murderer wasn’t a guy** , yes?” Celeste’s smile was quickly reversed by a familiar interruption.

**_“NO, THAT’S WRONG!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Solar Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8trVirJLDoA>)**

“I don’t think the murderer was a guy.” Makoto’s dour expression was interrupted by shocked stares across him.

 _“Woah, woah, woah! Wait a fuckin’ minute!”_ Mondo howled. “How the fuck could a _girl_ committed the crime?! That came out of nowhere!”

“Y-Yeah, it seems awfully out of left field… besides, doesn’t the guys’ toolkit have the only means which to cut the wire?” Hifumi smiled. “I mean, I’m not expecting girls to know how to cut wires, but I don’t think there’s scissors in the girl’s toolkit…”

Kyoko seemed particularly annoyed, clearing her throat. “…ignoring that rather misogynistic assumption for a second, Hifumi’s still wrong. The female’s sewing kit possesses scissors, right?”

“H-Huh?” Chihiro blinked. “The girls’ sewing kit had scissors…?”

“Pfft, what?” Celeste leered over. “You’re a girl too, non? Wouldn’t you have opened up your sewing kit for the occasion?”

“N-No! I mean… I mean, um…” Chihiro blushed and seemingly panicked, but she quickly recomposed herself. “Um, I-I’m not trying to imply anything suspicious! It’s just that, well… medical stuff isn’t my expertise. But, um, why bring this up? What necessarily implies that the murderer is female?”

Kyoko smiled calmly. “I think our cowlick friend can explain that one. Naegi?”

 _(Me on the frontlines yet again, huh? Welp, if she says so…)_ Makoto looked rather flustered in that moment, but he gave his answer, bringing up a hologram of the gnawed wires. “Look at this here. You see how the wires were cut? Also, I mean _how_ the wires were cut. That’s the kicker.”

“Huh? “Hiro blinked. “Wait… I’m afraid I don’t follow. All I can see is that it only looks _really_ gnawed compared to what the movies show it to be a quick, clean cut.”

“And that’s _exactly_ it.” Makoto nodded. “The wire cutter in the guys’ toolkit could easily cut the wire without much of a fuss… but presuming the girls’ scissors had to have been used, a lot more force had to have been used to cut through all that copper and rubber.”

“I can definitely confirm this; Makoto’s right when he says the girls’ sewing kit had to have used a lot more force to cut the wire.” Kyoko nodded in agreement with this.

“So… that would mean that a girl did it…?” Celeste took a moment to process this before scoffing. “Well, I assure you I had nothing to do with it! Technology is simply beyond my expertise.”

“Y-Yeah… I already have enough trouble plugging in a computer to type with…” Toko chewed on her nail in that moment. “B-Besides, I would _n-never_ kill Togami!”

“Me three!” Sayaka looked rather perplexed. “Honestly, my job resume just lists me as an idol, not a _technician.”_

“Well, we can’t be taking testimonies just _yet._ For now, though…” Kyoko turned to Chihiro. “Chihiro-chan, how hard would it be to cut the safety wires to the fan?”

“H-Huh?” Chihiro perked up. “Honestly? Not that hard. Anybody with at least _some_ technical experience could figure that out. If anybody knows somebody by that description, we should be good to go!”

“So… that would mean that the killer had to have been both a girl _and_ a tech wizard!” Junko blinked. “Well, holy crap, that makes… well, I still have no goddamn idea how that’s even _plausible,_ but sure! Let’s go with that theory!” As if to demonstrate her newfound enthusiasm, she bared her teeth in a grin and did a little “v-pose” with her fingers.

**(Music Slowly Fades Out)**

“So presuming everything we’ve heard up to this point in the trial is true… one of two avenues have been opened.” Celeste continued. “Either the killer is a female who used the toolkit, or it’s somebody who stole a girl’s toolkit. Frankly, the former theory seems far more likely at this stage right now.”

 _Everybody_ stood in silence then and there. And then, Mondo spoke up.

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

“So… does that mean we start pointing fuckin’ fingers?” Mondo nodded. “At this rate, the killer had to have been a girl with technical experience! Presuming a guy’s toolkit wasn’t stolen earlier, that means anybody who has the most technical experience with this sort of crap is on the chopping block!”

“Yeah, and that’s presuming the killer _is_ a girl. “Hiro shook his head. “Good grief… but still, Mondo isn’t _completely_ wrong. These are the only possibilities we all have, so… well, if anybody knows who fits these characteristics, speak up now, or forever hold your peace!”

Sakura shook her head. “…I _truly_ doubt the killer would up and just admit their involvement here. No offense, Hiro.”

Hiro gave a cheerful thumbs up. “Nah, none taken!”

Makoto was once again in silence. _(A girl… with technical experience? But the only one I know that has that sort of experience would be…)_

He then froze.

And then he looked at Sayaka.

_(…oh, no. Please, don’t let it be her.)_

Makoto felt himself freeze into place as he looked at the blue-haired girl who was sitting next to him. Upon closer inspection, she seemed rather… fidgety? Makoto wanted to believe that she was innocent… but…

* * *

_Day 1 – Leon’s Room  – 12:44 PM_

_“Kidding! I’m just kidding.” Sayaka giggled. “Really though, people say I have really good intuition… which I do, honestly. I can definitely figure things out pretty quick, heehee.”_

_“O-Oh, I see…” Makoto chewed on his lip before continuing. “But… aren’t you an idol? Doesn’t your talents revolve mostly along singing or acting?”_

_Sayaka gave something of a wry smile. “Honestly, being an idol isn’t that fun, honestly. It may seem like a blast to go through, but there’s a ton of work beyond looking pretty and pure in front of a massive audience. One off-the-book record was when preparing a concert, the lights broke down and we had to fix it due to staff constraints. Lucky for them I knew a thing or two about mechanics; not only did I succeed at fixing them, I even made them strobe!”_

_Makoto grinned upon seeing the stars of pride in Sayaka’s eyes; he couldn’t help but gleam himself. “Wow, that’s incredible! How did you even manage to learn how to do so well with mechanics?”_

_Sayaka blushed, before giggling; she sat on the bed where Leon was out cold. “Well early in my idol career, during a meet-and-greet, we had a lottery to determine who got to spend a day with me. I was originally gonna choose from the previous raffle, but a last minute decision had us shake it up pretty early… and what do you know, the winner was some pink-haired boy in a mechanic’s suit! He offered to teach me how to work with hardware, and while I was shocked, I thought to myself “why not?”_

_Sayaka giggled once more. “Apparently, he was none other than the **Ultimate Mechanic!**  With my intuition and his tutoring, I’ve become… well, let’s just say I’ve become really good at it. It’s certainly a lot more easier than singing in my opinion!”_

* * *

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 1:56 PM_

Makoto felt his heart skip a beat. _Nobody_ else had the same description as Sayaka, who at this point… took opposition to everything everybody has done in solving the murder. Almost as if she was the killer.

Because, deep down in Makoto’s heart, he knew she _was_ the killer.

Makoto felt something return to his eyes: tears. Small ones, but he, too, quivered upon seeing what he had to have done. It hurt to do this, but… when everybody else was at stake here… he couldn’t just turn a blind eye from the truth. And it was just like she said.

* * *

_Day 4 – Courtroom Elevator – 11:39 AM_

_Sayaka, however scared she was, gave a small, forced smile. “And no matter what happens… always believe in yourself. Okay?”_

* * *

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 1:57 PM_

It hurt. Makoto’s chest felt like it was going to cave in. But deep down, he knew he had to pull the metaphorical trigger.

Not just for his life. But for everybody else’s.

**_“No doubt about it!”_ **

It was in that moment time stopped.

* * *

**(Music Stops)**

_Day 4 – ??? – ???_

_(W… What…?)_

Almost like a background character in an old anime, everybody present just… froze. They froze into place. Makoto could even see bits of the _atmosphere_ frozen into place, as surreal as it was. But before long, everybody just… _melted_ into nothingness. Nobody except him.

…Makoto took that last bit back. Sayaka, soon, morphed back from the frozen darkness.

**(Music – Heartless Journey –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PTgs95JMGg>)**

Sayaka, in that moment, gave a smile. One that did _not_ radiate of happiness. Rather, it screamed of sheer pain at what was coming – most likely her impending death by execution, as she subconsciously acknowledged. Regardless, she gave a small, broken smile, almost as if trying not to cry.

“So…” Sayaka smiled sadly. “You figured it out. I promised myself I wouldn’t be sad when you did, but… damn it. Why… why am I crying? I…”

Makoto scrunched his face, but indeed, Sayaka has small tears running down her cheeks. “Um… how… how are you communicating with me?”

Sayaka sniffled a bit before smiling at Makoto. “Like I said, dummy. I’m psychic.”

Makoto looked on in shock. “So… it wasn’t a joke?”

“Well… I’ll leave that for you to decide.” Sayaka continued to smile sadly before further breaking down. “I should have listened… listened to what you _really_ meant… but I… I chose what was easiest for myself… solely because I was scared…!”

“I’m…” Sayaka was fully enveloped in crying right now. “I’m sorry, Byakuya… I’m sorry, Leon… I’m sorry, everyone… and I’m s-sorry… Makoto… for having betrayed all of you for my own gain…”

As Sayaka continued to writhe, Makoto looked on in mild surprise. It was in that moment, Sayaka calmed down; she raised herself to meet Makoto in the eye.

“Please, Naegs… promise me one thing, at least.” Sayaka smiled. “Even if you hate me now… I want you to fight for your life. I know I’ll do the same; even as a friend, I’ll fight tooth and nail for my freedom… but you should to! You have every right to live as everybody else does! _So I implore you, to stop me in my tracks!”_

Sayaka pointed at Makoto as if to exasperate that point. And as if by timing, she felt tears roll down her cheeks yet again… all while the shadows continued to meld with her. “That… that is my final wish. Please, no matter what… fight. Fight, no matter how hard it is…”

Sayaka’s last words before morphing into the darkness were harrowing.

“I believe in you, Naegs.”

Makoto was left in shock at all of it. But deep down, he knew he had to do what she required. Taking a deep breath inwards, he shook her head and nodded.

“Sayaka, I… what you want me to do… _it’s so hard…”_ Makoto himself, whether it was really his body or his spirit, felt his eyes prick with tears. “I don’t want to have to do this… but you requested me to. At this rate… I have no choice.”

Almost out of some resolve made of light, he pointed towards the skies, almost at the sound of a gun discharging.

“I promise you… I’ll live. Not just for myself… _but for everybody else!”_

And then there was light.

* * *

**(Music Stops)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 1:57 PM_

It was then, in the terse silence of the courtroom, Makoto said what he hoped he didn’t have to say.

“Sayaka’s the killer.”

**(Music – Class Trial: Future Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjiB9jk8iEc>)**

“Wait… _what?!”_ Hiro shouted. _“WHY_ SAYAKA?! _Seriously, she wouldn’t hurt a fly!”_

“H-Huh?!” Sayaka froze into place, her face blanching. “N-Naegs, I don’t know what you’re talking about! You’ve got the wrong person, really!”

“Hmm…” Kyoko pursed her lips for a split second. “That’s… an interesting theory you have there, Makoto. Care to explain why.”

“Gladly.” Makoto steeled himself for what was to come. “You see, the killer likely fit into two different categories: they were female, and they had to have had _some_ expertise in technology. And Sayaka, as she confirmed with me a matter of days ago, fits both characteristics.”

Sayaka turned pale in that moment. “W-What?! No, of course not! I don’t even know _how_ to manage technology! Really!”

“Sayaka…” Makoto shook his head. “We both know that’s a lie. Or wouldn’t someone else have made those lights strobe?”

Sayaka cringed. _“E-Eek!”_

“W-Wait! Lights? Strobe?!” Leon huffed. “C’mon, Naegs, at least give us _some_ context! I am _not_ gonna point fingers at a friend until we’ve got _some_ evidence that isn’t speculation!”

“…alright. I’ll give you the quick version.” Makoto paled for a split second, but breathed in. “Sayaka… she knows perfectly well how to use technology! While Leon was unconscious on our first day here, I talked with her and she ended up revealing she was tutored by a student here at Hope’s Peak… the Ultimate Mechanist himself! She told me the entire story up to that point how the lights at a concert broke down, and she fixed them!”

 _Everybody_ began murmuring in response to that, all while Sayaka yelped out. “T-That’s ridiculous! I never told you anything of the sort! I only know how to _entertain_ people, not fix technology!”

Celeste leered in. “…no. Makoto isn’t lying when he says that.”

Sayaka did a double take at _that. “Wait, WHAT?!”_

“You _do_ realize you are talking to the Queen of Liars, non?” Celeste smiled. “Everything about his body language exhibits no signs that he’s lying. He’s as easy to read as a book, I daresay. And by direct contrast…”

Celeste leaned in, giving an intimidating glare. “…rather, _you,_ Sayaka, have the clear signs of a liar. And take my word for it as somebody who’s spent most of my life as an illustrious con artist: the way you’re wringing your hands behind your podium should say it all.”

Sayaka _cringed_ upon realizing she was doing exactly that. “W… What?”

“Oh, make no mistake! I was only not being so observant of your every move because I genuinely thought Leon was the killer. But now that we’ve seemed to narrow things down a notch…” Celeste pursed a deviant-looking smile. “…well, as it stands, it seems _you_ are the most obvious candidate. And let me tell you again: Makoto is _not_ lying. His body language says it all.”

Everyone stood in silence. Almost as if on cue, Sayaka’s podium began levitating to the center, earning the eyes of _everybody_ around her.

“Puhuhuhuh…” Monokuma had a cheesy little grin at having pushed the ‘Suspect Button’. “This is getting _good!”_

“I… I-I…” Sayaka whimpered. “N-No! You have the wrong person… really…! I…!”

“…Sayaka. I know it’s unprofessional to base the word of somebody else off of testimony. Frankly, in my line of work, relying of word of mouth is a sign of amateur investigation.” Kyoko shook her head. “But what else do we have to go on from here? If you are really innocent, that would be great. But… forgive me for investigating you in particular. And I take it nobody else has any objections to this?”

Everyone stood silent for another second. And then, Leon spoke up.

“I… I don’t want to think Sayaka’s guilty…” Leon shook his head. “But frankly, the only other person who could have committed the murder would’ve been Chihiro, and I don’t think we have any reason to believe it was her… _especially_ given she didn’t even open up her sewing kit yet.”

“Can confirm! Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma chortled. “Just so we don’t get sidetracked, let me confirm: yes, Chihiro- _chan_ did not open up her sewing kit! Of course, that’s all the hints _I’m_ gonna give up to this point. Whether or not you’re right or wrong is for all of _you_ to decide!”

 _Everybody_ turned to Sayaka, who was standing in silence. Before long, Sakura spoke up. “…well, Sayaka? Do you have any objection to this?”

Sayaka continued to look on in shock. “I… I…!”

**(Music Stops)**

“Sayaka… this hurts me as it hurts you.” Makoto grimaced. “But please… prove me wrong. Prove me wrong over my fears you’re the blackened! That’s all I’m asking for you, and – “

“…shut the fuck up.”

A terse silence came that was interrupted by a surprised Makoto. “W… What? Sayaka?!“

**(Music – Class Trial: Odd Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXHwsEVvFxM>)**

And then, she _exploded._

 _“Shut up! SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCKING FUCK UP, **YOU DUMBASS COWLICK!”**_ Either out of fear or anger, Sayaka _roared._ _“ARE YOU SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING YOUR **FRIEND** TO BE THE KILLER OUT OF SOME **MINDLESS CONJECTURE?!** I **REFUSE** TO BELIEVE WHAT YOU’RE SAYING FOR EVEN A **SECOND!** **YOU’RE A GODDAMN LIAR, MAKOTO! A LIAR! LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR,**_ **LIAR!”**

“Gyaaaaaah!” Hifumi flinched. “T-The deredere has become tsuntsun! _Duck and cover!”_

“I insist that you calm down _now,_ Sayaka, and we’ll pretend your outburst never happened.” Kyoko continued. “So please: _calm down._ Do you have any _coherent_ objections to what Makoto is saying?”

“Objections?! You’re telling me if I have objections or not?!” Sayaka roared. _“YOU BET YOUR ASS I DO! Why aren’t we considering somebody like Chihiro?! She could’ve easily stole somebody ELSES sewing kit, and yet people are continuing to fucking hammer me for something BEYOND MY SKILL LEVEL?! THE HELL IS **WRONG WITH YOU?!”**_

“Sayaka… please, you gotta understand!” Leon cried. “You’re _not_ making this any better on yourself! So c’mon, calm _down_ damnit! We’re not _actively_ trying to convict you!”

Makoto nodded in approval. “Leon’s right! Please, just cool your head! I’m sorry if what I say offends you, but we have nothing else to go on! So please, just give your argument rationally and we’ll go on from there!”

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

**_“You’ve been hogging the spotlight!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

Sayaka, as if she wasn’t angry enough, continued to shout. _“HOW DARE YOU?! I considered you a friend from_ childhood, _Makoto! So why are you pointing your finger at me based on WORD OF MOUTH?! Give me_ evidence _, damnit, not useless word of mouth! **THEN I’LL FUCKING CALM DOWN!”**_

**(Music – Rebuttal Showdown –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoSKrtqg00o>)**

**_= > Bloodied Screwdriver_ **

**_= > Cut Wires_ **

**_= > Tampered Ventilation Controls_ **

**_= > Monokuma File #1_ **

**_= > Bloodied Vent_ **

_“You have nothing to go on, damnit!”_ Sayaka started the verbal duel with a howl. _“It literally could’ve been anybody else, damnit! I know jack shit about technology, but I know_ enough _to know it shouldn’t be SO freaking hard! So why are you pointing fingers at me?! You’ve basing it off an unreliable source of evidence: word-of-mouth! So stop being a fucking tryhard and actually PROVE ME WRONG!”_

**_ADVANCE!_ **

“C-Calm down, Sayaka!” Makoto flinched. “I want to believe you, but… what _else_ do we have to go on?”

 _“You want more useless bullshit to go on?! Fine!”_ Sayaka continued her rant. _“You’re forgetting the fact that **too little goes back to me here**! For one, how would I have been able to lure that asshat Togami in?! Frankly, **I had no means of even getting in and out** of the vent!”_

**_“I’LL CUT RIGHT THROUGH THOSE WORDS!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Solar Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8trVirJLDoA>)**

“No… that’s wrong. You used the screwdriver in order to get in!” Makoto pointed his finger at Sayaka.

 _“H-Huh?!”_ Sayaka flinched. _“Wait, WHAT?!”_

“O-Of course!” Taka lit up in surprise. “Sayaka doesn’t have access to the toolkit under normal circumstances, but… maybe she ended up getting it from Togami’s corpse? Through one mean or another, she could have used that to break into the vent, break out, and dispose of the body!”

“I… but are we really still gonna look at it from that perspective? I mean, this whole murder’s fuckin’ crazy!” Leon cried out. “And besides… damnit, it _hurts_ having to point fingers at a friend! I can’t go _that_ far, especially when Sayaka’s been a good friend as is!”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to put aside your personal feelings, Leon-kun.” Celeste nodded. “Frankly, we don’t have much else to go on from here otherwise. As it stands, Sayaka’s the only female who could have cut the wires, killed Togami, and possibly more than that, used his screwdriver in order to move the body.”

Sayaka only looked more panicked. “Y-You little…!”

“Y-Yet the question is… how did she do it?” Toko murmured. “I-I don’t really see how that’s within the realm of possibility to get his screwdriver like th-that…”

“Huh?” Aoi blinked. “But… wouldn’t Sayaka be able to enter and exit the vents with the screwdriver? That way, she could’ve removed the grates leading up to that and slip in to dispose of the body!”

“Toko isn’t wrong. Togami _was_ found with the screwdriver, so it can be assumed he was trying to go in to, well… you know what I mean.” Kyoko was now a lot more savvy with Toko’s emotional buttons, and it shows. “Presuming that Sayaka didn’t managed to recover the screwdriver from wherever Togami first had it, it can’t be so readily assumed that she used it to break in.”

“S-So, does…” Hifumi flinched for a second. “Does that mean we were on the wrong track...?”

 _“See?!_ Thank God for you, Hifumi, _somebody’s on my side!”_ Sayaka threw up her hands in frustration. “Seriously, why the hell would you – “

 _“But even. So. **Sayaka**.”_ Kyoko spoke with no small amount of anger in her voice; Sayaka halted her interruption lest she draw genuine fury. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t other means she could’ve broken in. The key is identifying what means she used in order to break into the ventilation shaft.”

“Yeah… that’s where I was going with this. Thank you, Kyoko.” Makoto nodded. “Ergo, if we’re to put all the evidence we’ve gathered so far… only one person has the technical experience and description that we’ve put together so far. And that person is you… right, Sayaka?”

“G-Ggg.. ugh…!” Sayaka, now, was sweating profusely, cringing and fidgeting like crazy. “W… Why are you all looking at me like this…?! I did nothing wrong damnit…”

And just like that Sayaka cried out. _“I AM NOT THE FUCKING KILLER, DAMNIT!”_

“Sayaka… please. I wanna believe you, but…” Leon shook his head, a clearly pained expression written all over his face. “Please. Just tell us. Not just for yourself, but… as me and Naegs’ friend.”

“N-Not to sound harsh or anything… but I, um, don’t think Sayaka will just up and admit it, Leon-kun.” Chihiro respectfully nodded. “Even if it seems clear and all.”

**(Music Stops)**

“Clear…?”

It was at that moment, in some combination of despair, fear and anger, Sayaka began _laughing._

 _“Heehehehehehee! Ahahahaha…”_ There was no joy in that laugh; just genuine _pain._ “W… What’s so clear? What’s so clear and me b-being the killer…?” Sayaka began trembling in that moment, undoubtedly out of fear. “C-Clear…? Are you saying it’s… _clear_ that I’ve murdered some Bespectacled Bitch-Boy? Huh?! _Is that your basis?”_

“D-Don’t you dare call Togami that!” Toko hiss. “I swear, if you don’t sh-shut up, I’ll – “

_“YOU SHUT UP, DAMNIT!”_

_Everyone_ was taken aback by Sayaka’s screech of pure _ire._ But more than that, the fear and terror in her voice continued as it trembled.

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

_“What the hell do you even mean by everything being ‘CLEAR’? HUH?!”_ Sayaka cried out. _“THIS WHOLE FUCKING TRIAL IS A GODDAMN KANGAROO COURT! A SHAM! A PHONY! **AND YOU’RE ALL NOTHING MORE THAN A BUNCH OF GODDAMN LIARS! LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR,**_ **LIAR!”**

“S-Sayaka, please! Calm down! I – “ Makoto was quickly cut off.

 _“AND YOU! YOU WERE MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND, YOU ASSHOLE! HOW COULD YOU SIDE WITH **THEM** OVER **ME?!”** _ Sayaka screeched. _“HOW ABOUT I TEACH YOUR SORRY, COWLICK ASS HOW AND **WHY** I HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS! SO GO ON, JERKASS! **PROVE ME WRONG!”**_

“S-Sayaka, I…” Leon cringed. “C’mon… this isn’t like you… please, don’t…!”

Makoto looked on in silence. _(It’s no use. Given how irrationally she’s acting, it’s clear she has more involvement than any of us want to admit. Her behavior is just out of control. But… Sayaka did wish me to fight… just as Sayaka is doing right now!)_

The Luckster steeled himself in that moment. _(Sayaka, please… I want you to hang in there! I’ll fulfill your wish… and fight just like you’re doing right now! I’ll use everything you say against you!)_

**_ABSORPTION NON-STOP DEBATE!_ **

**(Music – Discussion: Despair vs. Hope –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckx2nvp8L3g>)**

**_= > Bloodied Screwdriver_ **

**_= > Trail of Blood_ **

**_= > Punctured Hole_ **

**_= > Ventilation System_ **

**_= > Open Bathroom Vent_ **

“For the last goddamn time… _I! AM NOT! THE KILLER!”_ Sayaka screeched. “I **didn’t even _know_ Togami was in the vents** until you _told_ me! ** _”_**

“J-Jeez, woman! T-Take a chill pill…!” Hiro winced at how low Sayaka was screaming.

“S-So, if you really _didn’t_ murder him… how _did_ you get in?” Taka was trying his best to be understanding.

“Sounds to me like **she just** **robbed the fuckin’ thing** from Togami before killing him!” Mondo was progressively getting angrier by the minute.

“Well just _look_ at the evidence, idiot! The screwdriver is _Togami’s,_ not mine, nor anybody else!” Sayaka continued her rant. _“He_ was **the one who went in to commit murder!”**

**_“NO, THAT’S WRONG!”_ **

**_BREAK!_ **

**(Music – Class Trial: Future Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjiB9jk8iEc>)**

“…Sayaka. I had my doubts you were the killer… but now? Now I know without a doubt _you’re_ the one.” Makoto breathed in before continuing. “You said Togami went into kill somebody, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, so what?!” Sayaka hasn’t exactly caught on yet. _“You_ said he did it _yourself!”_

“We did… but that was only _speculation.”_ Makoto pointed his finger at Sayaka. “Besides... why would _you_ know he went in to kill somebody when you didn’t even know he was in the vents last night?”

“H… Huh?” Sayaka’s confused expression lit up in horror, finally getting it. _“A-Aaah!”_

“T-That’s right! Sayaka didn’t _need_ to get Togami in the vent! She already knew he was getting in!” Taka lit up in pleasant surprise.

“Hmph. So… that was a lie, wasn’t it Sayaka?” Celeste glanced with a small smirk. “Honestly, I knew you’d try to weasel you way out of that one. Only reason why I didn’t intervene the moment you started talking nonsense was because even simpletons like _Makoto_ could’ve figured it out! For shame, lying to your friends like that…”

“I…” Sayaka turned pale in that moment. “I… I…!”

Leon seemed hesitant to speak, only doing so after a long pause. “…well, Sayaka? Can’t you explain to me how you knew Togami was in the vent when you didn’t even know?”

Makoto winced. “Sayaka, please… don’t lie. I beg of you. This doesn’t have to go this way.”

**(Music Stops)**

A long paused occurred in that moment.

And just like that, the spark of outrage flared up and _exploded._

**(Music – Argument Armament –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll8ElUkIXBY>)**

_“LIE?! ARE YOU ACTUALLY IMPLYING I’M STILL **LYING?! THE FUCK’S WRONG WITH YOU?!”**_ Sayaka nearly scratched her throat with all the screaming. _“OKAY, TELL ME THIS, YOU FUCKING DOUCHEBAG! HOW THE HELL COULD I HAVE EVEN GOTTEN INTO THE VENT! I COULDN’T EVEN GET IN TO PICK UP TOGAMI-FUCK’S BODY WHEN HE BIT THE DUST?! SO HOW?! THE HELL?! AM I?! **INVOLVED?! YOU’RE ALL LIARS, GODDAMNIT! LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR!! LIAR, LIAR…”**_

“G-Gah…! Sayaka?!” Makoto winced upon the sheer rise of volume.

**_“LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR…”_ **

“Sayaka, please… just – “ Makoto’s attempts to reason with her was cut off in that moment.

“Stop. She’s not listening to you, Naegi. She’s not listening to _any_ of us, sadly.” Kyoko shook her head. “You can probably figure out the piece to the puzzle here. How _would_ she get into the ventilation system without using the toolkit? It’s clear she’s now the killer, but… please. You have to talk some sense into her arguments.”

**_“…LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR…”_ **

“Right.” Makoto nodded, turning to the screaming Sayaka. _(Sayaka… this hurts me more than you can imagine… but everything’s falling into place now! I won’t stop… until I’ve fought for the truth!)_

**_“…LIAR, LIAR, LIAAAAAAR! SO TELL ME, YOU FUCKHEAD, HOW COULD I HAVE OPENED THE GRATE_ WITHOUT _A GODDAMN SCREWDRIVER?”_**

**_USED – A – SCAL – PEL_ **

And in that moment, before Sayaka was willing to acknowledge it, it was over.

**(Music Stops)**

“The answer’s likely simpler than any of us was thinking.” Makoto nodded. “The sewing kit has a scalpel, right? _You used that to break in!”_

Sayaka immediately froze up. “L… Liar…?”

**(Music – Class Trial: Solar Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8trVirJLDoA>)**

“Th… The scalpel…?! _Why, of course!”_ Aoi lit up. _“Sayaka used the scalpel to break in!”_

“Yes… that seems to be the case. The scalpel would’ve been irrevocably bent before that point… but with enough force and time, it would be possible to remove the screws to the vent.” Sakura looked on with mild pride for Makoto. “That would’ve rendered the scalpel unusable, but in this case, the killer only needed it once.”

“So… that really _does_ confirm it, then.” Leon winced. “She… she did kill Togami…”

“L-Liar… I…” Sayaka, in that moment, began to instinctively tear up. “L-Li… ar…”

Kyoko shook her head. “This trial has gone on for long enough. Makoto… at this rate, we should be able to summarize all that has happened up to this point, yes? So if you will… finish this.”

Makoto only glanced at Kyoko once to knew the intent of her words. _(Finish this… so we’re really at the finish line now, huh? Well… no use holding back any longer.)_

Makoto took a moment to look into Sayaka’s teary eyes, and he felt a twinge of pain rise in him. _(Sayaka… I’m really sorry… but this is for everybody’s good!)_

* * *

**_CLOSING ARGUMENT!_ **

**(Music – Climax Return –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYdImXwmee8>)**

**_ ACT 1 _ **

“If we’re going to figure out _how_ the murder was committed, we’ll have to look at it from the strike of midnight… when **Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny** , met his demise.”

“Through some means or another, the killer managed to predict Togami would be in the ventilation system at around night-time, with the intent to commit murder. But the killer **was preparing this from the very beginning**.”

“At around 12:00, Togami began moving through the events. What he was thinking, we’ll never know; but he was crossing through the bridge that connected his room to Hifumi’s and he went on from there.”

“The killer, to put it lightly, was banking on this.”

**_ ACT 2 _ **

“By the time Togami got to the turn at where the ventilation system was below, the killer’s trap was in place. Togami was going to cross past the fan, **which was disabled due to the ventilation system’s safety feature**.”

“Now under normal circumstances, knowing when Togami would’ve made it to the point his face brushed against the fan would’ve been impossible. But the killer was prepared; **they used the peephole Togami created early that day to know where his location would be**.”

“Just as Togami was going to cross the fan, minutes earlier, **the killer began gnawing at the safety wire with the scissors**. Almost with perfect timing, the safety wire was cut… and Togami was killed. His face was grinded by the fan.”

**_ ACT 3 _ **

“This, presumably, left the body to be discovered in the ventilation system. But the killer was prepared for this; **they went back to their room to be greeted with the site of the ventilation shaft already opened**.”

“Trying to open up the vent under immediate circumstances would’ve taken far too long… so the killer took their time to open it up before this point. Using the bed as leverage, they crawled into the vent to retrieve Togami’s body.”

**_ ACT 4 _ **

“The sounds of the killer – and earlier, Togami – crawling through the vents woke Leon up. It would be in that moment, out of irritation, **he would throw the baseball into the vent to get the noise to shut up**.”

“The killer was not expecting this. But just in time, they managed to dodge the baseball… **only for it to land squarely into Togami’s bloodied, mangled face.** The baseball likely ricocheted off of the vent, losing a lot of its momentum… only to unceremoniously smack the corpse where he was the most wounded.”

**_ ACT 5 _ **

“The killer knew in an instant who it could’ve been, and promptly acted upon it. Frankly, if Leon hadn’t thrown the baseball, this trial would’ve been generally a lot easier to figure out… the **killer capitalized on the baseball hitting Togami in the face to frame Leon.** ”

Likely using her clothing as a rag, they wiped the blood off of the damaged fans in an attempt to obscure the nature of the crime… and in that moment, they began dragging the body back to my room, where it was first found.”

**_ ACT 6 _ **

“Using Togami’s screwdriver to open the grate leading to my bathroom, they made certain to gently lie the corpse inside the bathroom. While they were at it, **they made sure to place the screwdriver and baseball underneath Togami’s corpse**.”

“The killer didn’t hesitate, lest they wake me up. With blood-smeared clothing all over her, she went back to her room – which bordered mine – to hide the clothes, get some new ones and go back to bed. And it would be that morning me, Leon and Taka discovered Togami’s corpse, who was found in my bathroom…”

**_ CONCLUSION _ **

“…and that’s how it happened.“ Makoto nodded to everybody. “To be completely blunt, there’s only one person at this time who could have committed the crime… and only one person who possesses the capacity to commit the crime in the fashion it was executed in.”

And in that moment, Makoto pointed at Sayaka.

“ **Sayaka Maizono, the** **Ultimate Pop Sensation** … it was you, wasn’t it?”

**_BREAK!_ **

* * *

**(Music Stops)**

Sayaka stood in dumbfounded silence. “I… I… I didn’t…”

Makoto had an almost pleading look on his face. “Please… Sayaka, stop lying. It _hurts.”_

Junko, who remained rather silent – yet again – for a lot of the trial, spoke up with a cocked up eyebrow. “Well, Sayaka-chan? Do you have a rebuttal to Makoto’s summary?”

Everyone stared at Sayaka. And Sayaka, in that moment, finally broke down.

Collapsing on her own two knees, she began _sobbing,_ clutching her head and shaking it around. “I-I’m sorry…! I’m so sorry… p-please, _forgive me…! I… w-wahhh…!”_

Everyone felt more than a little pity for the weeping girl, before Leon, in that moment, just shook his head. “Well… I guess that’s that, then.”

* * *

**(Music – Class Trial: Dawn Edition –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOtvk2-dgHY>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 2:23 PM_

“Alright, everybody! And just forty minutes before the 3:00 deadline! Not bad at all, upupu.” Monokuma applauded. “But, this trial isn’t over _yet!_ You still have to vote for who the killer is! If you guess correctly, I’ll only execute the blackened… but if you’re _wrong,_ _all_ of you will die, _except the blackened!_ Sooo you better pick carefully!”

“J-Just…” Sayaka stood in an almost catatonic state. “Please… just get it over with…”

Makoto felt pity towards his friend, looking away in similar pain to Sayaka. Regardless, he soon noticed the tablet on his podium flared to life with several photos of other students… and presumably, it was a touchpad screen.”

“Now, vote to your heart’s content! Oh, but for all you _bweeding-heawt pacifists out there_ , you _gotta_ vote let _you_ get sent to the guillotine too! Now, let the voting session… _commence!”_

And with that, Monokuma pressed a button, and an overhead timer came to life.

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

**_TIME REMAINING TO VOTE: 2:00_ **

“W-What?! The timer’s _only two minutes?!”_ Mondo lit up in shock. _“H-How the fuck that’s fair?!”_

“It’s only as unfair as you make it Mr. Biker Gang!” Monokuma did a little cackle and dance. “Now… _vote. OR ELSE.”_

Makoto took a long moment to stare at Sayaka’s icon on the screen: a portrait of her in an idol costume singing. His heart felt heavy knowing what had to have been done… but he did it nonetheless.

He pressed Sayaka’s button. And soon, everybody else followed suit.

 _“Alright, everybody!”_ Monokuma laughed. “Let’s tally up all of your votes!”

And just like that, the screen containing the giant clock gave way to an entirely new digital form.

* * *

**Makoto Naegi – 0**

**Kiyotaka Ishimaru – 0**

**~~Byakuya Togami~~ – 0**

**Mondo Owada – 0**

**Leon Kuwata – 0**

**Hifumi Yamada – 0**

**Yasuhiro Hagakure – 0**

**Chihiro Fujisaki – 0**

** Sayaka Maizono – 14 (WINNER!!) **

**Kyoko Kirigiri – 0**

**Aoi Asahina – 0**

**Toko Fukawa – 0**

**Sakura Ogami – 0**

**Celestia Ludenberg – 0**

**Junko Enoshima – 0**

* * *

_Day 4 – Digital Slots – 2:25 PM_

“Now then… no use delaying the inevitable any further, boyos!” Monokuma put on his best top hat and leered at the _massive_ digital roulette that came crashing from the sky.

 _“W-What the… SERIOUSLY?!”_ Junko howled. _“GODDAMNIT, THAT’S JUST EXCESSIVE!”_

“Now then… did you make the _right_ choice? Or the dreadfully _wrong_ one?! _LET’S FIND OUT!”_

And with it, Monokuma pulled the giant lever.

**(Music – Voting Slots –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBOVT_SP4XM>)**

The digital roulette circled around the giant checkerboard of pixel-art faces, and each time the bright selection-light skipped past Sayaka, Makoto felt his heart skipped a beat. He could imagine everybody else was the same, too; even given the damning pieces of evidence implicating Sayaka, what if they were wrong? What if there was more to this trial than _anybody_ thought?

Thankfully, as Sayaka’s pixelized face was the final destination of the selection-light, he felt him giving a sigh of relief he was going to see another day.

That said, the flood of Monocoins that came from the digital roulette felt a bit excessive.

………

……

…

** CASE VICTIM(S): BYAKUYA TOGAMI (DECEASED) **

** CASE BLACKENED: SAYAKA MAIZONO (INCRIMINATED) **

** CASE RESULT: SUCCESS (ALL SURVIVORS WILL NOT BE EXECUTED) **

**_CLASS TRIAL, ALL RISE!_ **

* * *

**(Music – Heaven of Almost Hell –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PTh50PFfRM>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 2:29 PM_

“Uh-ohhhh! Would you look at _that?!”_ Monokuma’s faux-surprise reeked of malice. “Why, you innocent are all _right on the money! The killer is none other than… **Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation!** BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”_

“A-Ah…” Sayaka was still having tears streak down her face, but she has long since had her desperate fight cowed. She was now collapsed into a fetal huddle, fear, despair and terror overwhelming her like the tide of Togami’s blood.

“So… you really were the blackened…” Leon looked away in pain. “And… and you tried to frame _me…”_

Sayaka gave no response.

“You know, it isn’t rude to ignore your friend like that.” Kyoko looked on at the quivering idol. “Are you going to give your answer, or what?”

Sayaka still gave no response.

“Sayaka… please…” Makoto felt ready to cry himself; either out of a mix of emotional pain, or exhaustion. “Just… just tell us. _Please.”_

 _“Yeah, goddamn you!”_ Mondo roared. _“TELL US WHY YOU KILLED TOGAMI, YOU FUCKIN’ BITCH!”_

 _“Y-You disgusting murderer…!”_ Toko hissed. _“H-How dare you make a mockery of Togami’s life like that…?!”_

“Yeah, _seriously!”_ Aoi howled. “Even if the guy was an absolute tool, _he didn’t deserve to die! Why did you just up and kill him?!”_

Sayaka _still_ gave no response.

At least, that’s what everybody thought would happen. After a terse moment of silence, Sayaka began muttering something so quietly, not even Monokuma’s turbo-sensors could’ve picked up on it in that moment.

“…c-calmly.”

Makoto blinked. “H-Huh?”

“Y-You… Makoto…” Sayaka whimpered. “You t-told me to remain calm… and find a logical way of escaping…”

* * *

_Day 3 – Class 1-B – 11:57 AM_

_“O-Okay. You… you promise we’ll find a way out of here if we use our brain power?” Sayaka’s voice was almost child-like in how scared it sounded. “That’s what you’re saying… right?”_

_Makoto nodded. “Absolutely. You just… gotta put one foot in front of the other, y’know? Use your head, and we’ll make it out of here. Now c’mon; on your feet.”_

* * *

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 2:31 PM_

“I… did?” Makoto thought about what Sayaka meant, but it wasn’t long before he lit up in horror. “W-Was what I told you a motivation for k-killing Togami…?!”

Sayaka, again, gave no response.

 _“For God’s sake, don’t remain silent! I want to know too!”_ Junko cried out. “Are you telling me you up and murdered somebody because somebody _TOLD YOU TO?!”_

Sayaka, once again, gave no response.

Monokuma, on the contrary, gave a massive groan. “Well, if our little idol isn’t gonna speak up, I’ll just drop _this_ video in! I’m more than certain you’ll recognize it after I play it!”

 _That_ got Sayaka to stop acting catatonic and begin hyperventilating in horror. “W-Wait, _don’t – “_

 _“Too late! Boop!”_ And with that, Monokuma injected a tape into a machine, causing the dreaded video to appear.

And frankly, it told more than anything Sayaka could’ve said in her frozen state of despair.

**(Music – Moon on the Water –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc>)**

In that moment, Sayaka – all with her fellow idols – revealed themselves, dressed in their own wide assortment of clothing. And they almost looked… happy, as they played on stage? It was likely older footage, given that Sayaka was a bit shorter and younger than she looked now… but it was still emblematic of happier times.

And just like that, the video cut short. All of the microphones were dropped onto the floor, and an eerie red hue came upon it. It wasn’t before long the screen cut to black, and with it, bolded red letter came onto it.

_“How long with Little Miss Maizono’s idol group last without her? **FIND OUT THE ANSWER AFTER GRADUATION!”**_

And just like that, the screen popped and fizzled, before burning out into nothingness.

“N… No…” Sayaka only tightened her weeping huddle in response to everybody’s expressions.

“H-Holy shit…” Leon murmured gormlessly. “T-That was… Sayaka’s _motive video…?!”_

“Well… that would certainly explain why she done the deed. Though I must ask Sayaka-chan herself.” Sakura lowered her massive form to the sniveling and crying Sayaka. “Why? Why did you do it?”

And at long last, Sayaka became coherent.

“B-Because… I… I wanted to get out…” Sayaka whimpered. “I worked _so hard_ to get where I am… a-and I had to do some terrible things… b-but I… _I can’t just live here forever! I CAN’T! NOT WHEN THEY’RE THE ONLY FAMILY I HAVE!”_

Sayaka’s soft whimper evolved into almost an entire _screech_ as Sayaka broke down sobbing once again. Makoto, meanwhile, looked horrified.

“Y-You mean…” Makoto felt waterworks building for himself as well. _“I_ was the reason you committed murder…?”

“N-No, silly. You only made me realize I should have looked at it more rationally.” Sayaka sniffled. “To be honest, I… I was planning on trying to kill Leon, before Makoto made me change my mind.”

Leon, for a better lack of a word, looked _defeated_ by that fact. “W… Why…?!”

Makoto never felt so much pain bottled up in his stomach for a long time. If _he_ felt terrible, he only wondered how _Sayaka_ felt… and it made his heart ache only more. But he still had questions, regardless. Apparently, Chihiro seemed ready to ask them.

“Then… how did you do it?” Chihiro murmured. “I can’t imagine it w-was easy to get Togami trapped like that…”

“Yeah… Togami isn’t dumb.” Taka nodded. “You had a plan, didn’t you?”

“Well, she _had_ to have one!” Hiro sighed, shaking his head. “There couldn’t have been any other way at which the murder happened like that.”

Sayaka took a minute to mentally recoup before finally speaking up.

“Honestly… getting Togami into place wasn’t _too_ hard. He was smart… but he was also arrogant.” Sayaka nodded. “I’ve decided to meet with him later yesterday and play on his sensibilities… at how “only a true heir to the Togami throne deserves to survive above the rabble,” and all that junk.”

Sayaka gave a clearly forced, if not _pained,_ smile. “Really, he was the obvious choice because he would’ve been a major force in the trial if he was alive… and for my trap, Kyoko would’ve picked up on what I was planning a while ago. So he was really the most obvious choice.”

“Still, I….” Sayaka fell silent in that moment. “I won’t forget so easily what his last words were.”

* * *

**(Music Slowly Stops)**

_Day 3 – Hallway – 12:09 PM_

_Sayaka, trembling, overheard the sound of Togami just as he was crossing the vent. She got a good peak of him earlier in that point, but she could already overhear what he was saying._

_“That Maizono woman is a strange one… gullible, certainly, but not as idiotic as Naegi. Still, there_ was _merit to what she had to say. Best cut the rabble sooner so I could escape.”_

_Sayaka didn’t hesitate. In a nanosecond, she finally cut the safety wire._

_“Now, to see if I can’t…” A pause. “Odd. Is it me, or is it stuffy in he – “_

_And just like that, all that was left was a short, hastily-interrupted scream and the sound of flesh and skull being torn apart._

* * *

**(Music Continues)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 2:35 PM_

“…and that’s what he said, before the fan killed him.” Sayaka continued to lower herself in agony. “And that’s why… why I’m a _murderer…”_

The way Sayaka’s voice cracked upon hearing that tore some heartstrings for Makoto. Celeste, however, was far less sympathetic.

 _“Mon Cherie,_ why should _we_ feel sympathetic for _you?”_ Celeste gave her trademark intimidation stare. “You’re a murderer. Plain and simple. No amount of a sob story will _ever_ change that fact.”

Makoto flinched upon hearing _that. (How on Earth can she be so heartless…?!)_ In that moment, as Sayaka felt a crying spell interrupt her, Makoto _lashed out._

 _“Hey! Don’t say Sayaka’s_ heartless _for committing a murder she was forced into! That we were_ all _forced into!”_ Makoto pointed a finger at Celeste. “I’m not going to excuse what she did… but let me just say here and now she would’ve _never_ done this if it wasn’t because of the Killing Game. No, the person we should all blame…”

Makoto then pointed a finger at Monokuma. _“…is you! YOU’RE the reason why all these bad things are happening!”_

 _“Moi?_ Look, Fuzzlehead, I would _never_ cause harm to any of my students!” Monokuma chortled. “Why… this is all, for a better lack of a word, an experiment. Just to show how even the _best_ among us can sink into depravity! Blame nobody but _yourselves,_ you miserable cretin!”

Sayaka was outright crying now. “I-I can’t take it any more… I’m… I’m _so sorry… I-I was scared and – “_

“Sayaka! Please, listen.” Makoto was short enough that he didn’t need to kneel down to hug the sobbing Sayaka. Instead, he gave a pretty sad smile. “Listen, it’s okay. _You’re_ okay. You… you wouldn’t do this if you weren’t forced. I’m not going to excuse you for what you’ve done, but… I won’t hold it against you, either. Because… that’s what it means to be ‘Ultimate,’ right?”

“Ugh! This is _so BORING!”_ Monokuma roared. “Now that we’ve had a bloody _grace period_ to determine how and why the blackened committed the crime, my trigger finger’s getting itchy! Let’s get to the good bits, shall we?”

Sayaka turned _pale_ in response to this. “N-No…! I, w-wait… _there’s still_ _so much I want to say, and – “_

 _“Now then, I’ve got a very special punishment in store for **Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation!”**_ Monokuma grinned evilly. “Ready? IIIIIIIIIIT’S – “

_“WAIT!”_

**(Music – Heartless Journey –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PTgs95JMGg>)**

_Everyone_ was caught off-guard by this. Eventually, all except the weeping Sayaka turned to see Leon looking _extremely_ aggravated, more at himself than the bear who was tormenting him. _“Wait just a goddamn second! Let me do_ something _before you send her to the guillotine!”_

“Oh, what the – _seriously?!”_ Monokuma groaned. _“Fine!_ But make it snappy!”

Leon, wordlessly, walked over to the collapsed Sayaka, who was busy drowning in her own tears. Without so much as a word, he knelt over, and began tenderly stroking her blue hair.

Given the cataclysmic emotional state Sayaka was in, she didn’t mind this too much.

“Hey… I, um, want you to have this.” Leon handed over the bottle of Panta in one hand, and a pain medication pill in the other. “I… don’t want you to suffer when you get killed. At least, within the range of influence _I_ have. So… I want you to down this. Please. Because I know you’ll need it.”

Sayaka, drearily, looked at the pain medication and Panta. She didn’t hesitate; she took a sip from the drink and felt part of her nerves go numb as the medication kicked in.

“W-Why…? Why do you do this…?!” Sayaka sniffled. “I-I’m a _murderer._ I-I don’t deserve forgiveness, much less for _framing you! I – “_

 _“Sayaka!_ Listen.” Leon was swift to comfort her. “Listen, please. You’re not at fault for this. And if nobody else forgives you… I will. Because deep down… you’re still my friend.”

Sayaka stared blankly at Leon for seemingly an eternity. In about an instantaneous fraction of that timespan, Sayaka buried her head into Leon’s chest and began _wailing._

“I-I’m sorry…!” Sayaka sobbed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, _I’m sorry…!”_

“Shh. It’s… fine.” Leon felt ready to tear up in that moment. “Everything’s fine. You’re gonna be okay.”

Makoto felt himself trembling, ready to break into tears at any given moment. “L-Leon…”

Hifumi nodded quietly. “I must admit… this is a very tender thing for her to do. He’s a lot more skilled with girls than I’ll ever be…”

While most everybody else felt their sympathy unravel, Celeste and Kyoko simply glanced to the side, wordlessly.

“Well, this is _so_ sweet, but… well, _YOU DO REALIZE YOU’RE SYMPATHIZING WITH A KILLER, RIGHT?!”_ Monokuma howled. “Well anyway, it’s time to get to business, shall we?”

As Leon turned pale, Sayaka collapsed on the floor and began _wailing._ “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, _I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”_

“Ready, everyone?!” Monokuma cackled. _“IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT’S **PUNISHMENT TIME!”**_

Sayaka’s last chosen words were one of heart-wrenching pain as tears streamed down her cheeks. _“I’m sorry, Makoto… **I’M SORRY!”**_

And without a single bout of fanfare, Monokuma summoned a button, only to promptly begin the carnage by slamming it.

* * *

**(Music – Punishment Time! (V3. Ver) –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN1Tpwk5OMs>)**

**G A M E O V E R**

**Sayaka has been found guilty.**

**Time for the punishment!**

* * *

**(Music – Thousand Knocks –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twYNehfMF0E>)**

** EXECUTION: The Final Encore **

** EXECUTED: Sayaka Maizono **

Sayaka looked on as tears streaked her face, terrified at everyone mix of sympathy, anger and disgust. Before she even had a moment to beg more for everybody’s forgiveness, a giant collar latched onto her neck and yanked her away from the group, while all she could do is cry helplessly. Leon and Makoto make a last-minute effort to try to rescue her, to no avail.

As Sayaka’s dragged across the floor and given severe friction burns, she only had a moment to take in where her execution would take place: a giant, neon-laden concert stage with bright kanji reading **“SAYAKA’S FINAL CONCERT: FINAL EXECUTION”**. Her back and lower half ached from the friction burns, but what would come next? It was worse.

It was _so much worse._

Sayaka was quickly drilled with nails crucifixion-style to a giant post, locked and nailed in a T-Pose in a small case. Sayaka _shrieked_ in agony as her wrists and ankles gushed blood, but nothing prepared for a headset being _drilled_ into her head, eliciting another ungodly shriek.

As the red-hot pain became a dull throb, she took a moment to realize an entire gaggle of Monokumas were in front of her, awaiting their audience with child-like cheering and glee. Sayaka felt tears of pain and humiliation run down her cheeks, but nothing before realizing the headphones were connected to a _gargantuan_ headset player. And as Monokuma cranked the music player to it’s absolute maximum setting, it became painfully obvious what he intended to do with that.

The thirteen students arrived just in time to see what was about to go down.

And it did go down. _Loudly._

With _Sayaka’s own music no less._

To everyone else – who was a considerable distance from everybody else – the noise was a raucous and blistering rendition of some of Sayaka’s hit singles. To Sayaka, the noise… well, there were no vocabulary word to describe such a thing that didn’t involve shrieking from the sheer pain. Or maybe that was the fact her own _head was being liquefied._ Blood gushed from her head and ran down her face, her own skin melting in contact with the indescribable sound-blast reaching her eardrums. She felt her eyes roll into the back of her head as her face melted, and then…!

She exploded.

Not her body, of course; it was just her entire head that went up in a bloody _splat._ Gore, brain matter and some _cauterized pus_ all flooded from her mashed head onto the stage, and as if for the coup de grace, the giant music players finally short circuited and blew a massive fuse. As fire raged onto the stage and the cheering Monokuma audience left it in a hurry, everybody present simply saw the fiery carnage consume what remained of Sayaka’s mangled corpse, the ultimate post-mortem insult to the young teen’s inexcusably short life.

* * *

**(Music – Despair Syndrome (Ver. 2) –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom – 2:41 PM_

The sight of such a brutal death brought Makoto to his knees.

Sayaka… was gone.

And with it, also his vocal chords.

 _“No!”_ Makoto screamed out. _“NOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH…!”_

Leon’s jaw was metaphorically on the floor, but he still picked it up from it. “T-That… that could’ve been _me.”_

Kyoko was shocked for a moment, but quickly recomposed herself. “…well. That’s what you mean by an ‘execution,’ is it not?”

Toko, after seeing the display of gory violence in front of her, was out like a light. Little did everybody know, this was likely for good reason.

Chihiro, meanwhile, was on the floor crying tender tears. “I-I can’t take this… _I can’t do this!”_

Hifumi was shocked too. _“W-WHAT?! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”_

Hiro clutched his head. _“GODDAMNIT!_ Shit… I need a fuckin’ drink…!”

Taka looked on in horror. “W-What the… heck…?! How can anybody be so cruel…?!”

Mondo was similarly stunned. “W-What the fuck?! Talk about overkill!”

Junko looked on in shock. “T-That’s just fucked up, man! Seriously!”

Celeste, in contrast, wasn’t too plussed. “…hm. Guess I have to be careful when navigating this game.”

Aoi didn’t take too kindly to Celeste’s opinion there. _“H-How could you say that?! Sayaka died and all you have to say is to BE MORE CAREFUL?!”_

Sakura was quick to interject. “Hina, at ease! No need to work yourself up after… that…”

Regardless, once to shock wore off, Makoto – after screaming his lungs off and crying – finally got to looking at Monokuma in disgust. “Y-You… _you’re horrible! You’re a horrible human being!”_

“Pfft! _Me?_ Why, you _do_ realize you aren’t talking to the blackened, hmm?” Monokuma clicked his tongue. “For shame! Well, in any case, you guys survived your first trial! So congrats! By the time you guys get back to the main floor, you’ll find that I’ve tidied up all, y’know, the bloodshed and murder! It’d be like Togami and Maizono _never existed!”_

 _That_ struck a ping of pain in Makoto, feeling weak. Kyoko, meanwhile, looked on in tranquil fury.

“You… you truly are a reprehensible thing.” Kyoko, while utterly calm in her voice, gave a _terrifying_ glare. “You don’t care about any of us, do you?”

“Nnnnnnnnnnope! Never have, and never will!” Monokuma chortled. “Welp, that’s all _I_ gotta say! Now, you are all _dissssssssssmissed!”_

And with that, all thirteen surviving students left the courtroom, one less being among their ranks.

* * *

**(Music – Moon on the Water –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc>)**

_Day 4 – Courtroom Entrance – 2:44 PM_

Out of everybody present, _nobody_ was necessarily taking the execution of Sayaka so well.

…well, everybody except Hiro.

“Well… that’s that, I guess. I dunno about you guys, but I’m gonna hit the sauce.” Hiro grinned as he looked on at everybody else. “Everybody want some booze to clear the mind? After Sayaka became the human sound-puree, I feel you guys need it.”

 _“Wha… YOU DICK!”_ Leon roared. _“DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT ABOUT SAYAKA, EVEN AS A JOKE! THE FUCK’S WRONG WITH YOU?!”_

Hiro winced. _“S-Sorry! It was just a suggestion!”_

“Well, even if it’s only two o’clock… I’m beyond exhausted.” Kyoko shook her head. “I’ll retire early for tonight, have time to… think about what happened here. And no doubt everybody else, right?”

“Y-Yeah… I…” Chihiro was still sniffling her own tears. “S-Sayaka… she _didn’t deserve that…”_

Nobody, not even Celeste and Toko, really disagreed with that.

Before long, everybody was their own separate ways. Of all things, Toko was late behind everybody else, while there was only Makoto and Leon.

“S-Sorry I’m late…” Toko murmured. “I… needed some time to recover. After seeing Sayaka’s d-death.”

Leon and Makoto exchanged glanced before turning to Toko; Leon then spoke up. “Nah. It’s fine, Toko. Get some rest; you need it.”

“Th-Thank you, Leon…” Toko nodded. “I-I’m sorry I thought you were the killer…”

And with that, she walked off, leaving only the two boys.

“Hey, um. Thanks for backing me up there, Naegs.” Leon nodded; regardless, his voice was still shaky. “Still… dear God, what did Sayaka do to deserve that? Even if she _did_ commit murder, I wouldn’t wish that death on my _worst enemies…”_

Makoto paused, before silently nodding. “I know… she was my friend. I… seeing that was hard.”

Leon tried his hardest to find humor in that. “Like how you were screaming your head off earlier?”

Makoto gave a small smile. “…yeah. You can say that.”

Both boys paused before Leon nodded. “Well… I’ll be getting something to eat, then resting for a bit. Clear my head and all. I do have one last question, though.”

Makoto nodded. “Sure. What’s up?”

“How… how did you know it was Sayaka who killed Togami when the description for the killer came up?” Leon nodded. “I wouldn’t be able to figure that out for the life of me.”

Makoto paused, before smiling weakly.

“I’m psychic.”

_“R-Really?!”_

“Haha… nah. I just have good intuition.”

………

……

…

**_Chapter 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds - END_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 13_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaaand it’s done! Just in time for the holidays too, hehe.
> 
> Welp, enjoy this massive update regardless! It’s been at the works for some time, and it’s easily my biggest update, like… ever. Seriously, 13,748 words isn’t something to scoff at. Regardless, I wish you all a Happy New Year!
> 
> See you in 2019! ;)


	8. Intermission 1: When The Levee Breaks, I'll Have No Place To Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the deadly results of yesterday, the rest of the party regroup from the trial that claimed the lives of Sayaka and Byakuya. Meanwhile, shadows lurk deep beyond what the eye can see, and the Mastermind's plans are slowly coming into action... presuming there _is_ any plans, of course.
> 
> Tune in to see the gap between **Chapter 1: A Wolf Among Shepherds** and **Chapter 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope's Peak**!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **EDIT:** This chapter has been revised an expanded! Due to a lack of detail that went into this chapter, I felt like I wanted to separate this one with the actual next chapter proper! Sorry for the wait all!
> 
> And so, it begins. The regularly scheduled intermissions of Another Side: Sporting Hopefuls!
> 
> I’ve included these chapters to give a better sense of the game world. Overall, I feel as though I’ve skipped over a _lot_ of stuff from canon, and part of my goal is to give roughly the same amount of detail a normal Killing Game has. Ergo, I hereby present to you the bridge between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2!
> 
> Just a heads up, there will be a lot of horror elements more thoroughly incorporated from Distrust, because I actually really liked the concept of that prototype – of course, you would’ve told from this just from how brutal Sayaka’s Execution was.
> 
> Either way, do enjoy this chapter!

**(Music – Death and Despair –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjQspoLdhI4>)**

_??? – ??? – ???_

_There was only darkness as far as Makoto’s eyes carried him._

_Nothing but darkness. Truth be told, Makoto was always afraid of the dark when he was little. It definitely coupled together with his secret shame of being a bed wetter when he was younger. But seeing so much darkness stretch around you… it was terrifying. But more than that, it was surreal. The fact he couldn’t even see his own two hands in front of him terrified him more._

_“H… Hello?” Makoto meekly asked. “Is… anybody here?”_

_Nobody answered. But_ something _did._

_“Why?”_

_Makoto felt a shiver run up and down his spine as the darkness parted like something straight out of a Bible – out came the figure of Sayaka who, for a better lack of a word, looked rather disappointed._

_“Why… why, Naegs?” Sayaka looked genuinely depressed. “You… you were the one who sentenced me to death. You were my friend, right? You didn’t ditch me so readily… didn’t you?”_

_Makoto’s heartrate elevated as he stuttered. “I… b-but you told me to – “_

_“That was a lie. I_ never _said to you that I wanted you to fight. Yet… you **murdered** me.” Sayaka looked ready to cry. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d escape to freedom… and yet you were the reason why I died. And I **hate** you for it.”_

_Makoto felt his heart skip a beat, which was only matched by him choking on his own tears. “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t know that – !”_

_“Of course you didn’t silly. If you were a good friend, you would know that everything that “vision” told you was a **lie.”** In that moment, Sayaka’s seething anger gave way to a bitter smile. “You… know why I know that, don’t you?”_

_Makoto felt a shiver run up and down his spine as he answered. “Because you’re… y-you’re psychic, right?”_

_Sayaka’s somber nature broke as she gave a pained laugh. As she continued to laugh, she merely crouched onto the floor, cackling… almost crying even. Regardless, Sayaka’s face was completely invisible to Makoto as she cackled, her voice only growing more distorted by the second._

**_“No, silly.”_ **

_Her voice sounded… otherworldly. Hellish. Like her voice was completely distorted in giving a heavy flanging effect. And then, Makoto’s heart skipped a beat as a very familiar blue eyeball dropped onto the floor._

_Sayaka merely squashed it beneath her shoe. She then looked up._

_Charred, torn and bloodied, rotten flesh dotted her once beautiful face. Her hair fringe was seared, bones and ligament visible. Her nose was missing, her ears and lips were mutilated, and her eyes… she was only having one badly-injured one, bloodshot and leaking an ungodly substance of green color. But it’s only what came out of her other eye – or rather, it’s open, gaping eye socket – when Makoto cringed at the sight of melted brain fluids._

**_“I just have good intuition.”_ **

_Sayaka lunged at Makoto._

* * *

**(Music – Moon on the Water –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc>)**

_Day 5 – Makoto’s Room – 1:19 AM_

Makoto _screamed_ wide awake.

Upon realizing it was just a particularly bad dream, he stopped panicking. Rather, covered in cold sweat, he looked at the clock and realized it was past midnight. Groaning, he took the pillow and pressed it against his head.

“Ugh… what a nightmare…” Makoto, despite trying to sound casual about it (to nobody but himself), had a shaky voice that sounded ready to release waterworks. “I-I can’t believe I actually _had_ that dream… Sayaka, she… she would never say that… would she…?”

Makoto wondered the question for some time, before realizing it was too late in the night to begin asking these questions. Rather, he broke down and _cried._

This wasn’t the first time Makoto cried here – he pricked a few tender tears on occasion. Makoto cursed the fact he was a really sensitive person, and thinking about it, he realized he would be a really good target for a lot of potential killers… and it was all the worse realizing he had to rely on others like Leon to protect him. It was really a sore blow to his ego and pride, and one that he wished just _ended_ so he can move on.

But more than that… he cried over Mom. Over Dad. And over… Komaru. His sister. He had enough rotten luck to be trapped in a waking nightmare that _no one_ seems ready to admit, and that terrified him to no end. All he wanted was the terror to stop and the comfort of his family, wherever they may be found.

In lieu of his desire for comfort, Makoto shakily hugged himself as she felt tears roll down his cheeks.

“M-Mom… Dad… S-Sis, I…” Makoto whimpered. “I just wanna go _home… I can’t take this anymore…”_

Eventually, the crying stopped, and Makoto found himself lulled to sleep by the sound of his own measly sniffling.

………

……

…

**_INTERMISSION 1: When The Levee Breaks, I'll Have No Place To Stay_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 13_ **

* * *

**(Music – Intermission: Beautiful Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Rii-9aUQE>)**

_Day 5 – Makoto’s Room – 7:22 AM_

Makoto Naegi only just realized he’s slept through the morning announcement when he heard a heavy-handed knock from a light-pitched classmate.

_“Yo, Naegs! It’s me, Leon! You up yet?”_

Makoto groaned as his eyes fluttered underneath the sheets. The brown-haired teen realized he huddled within the blankets from some protection from the mental elements afflicting him last night. Tiredly, he groggily rubbed his eyes and got back up to realize there was a dark splotch on his pajama pants.

And it was noticeable, given the nature of Makoto’s grey pajamas.

 _“C-Crap…!”_ Makoto turned a dark shade of red upon realizing a habit from grade school resurface. _“G-Give me a second, Leon! Lemme get dressed!”_

“Huh? Oh, sure; go ahead.”

Makoto didn’t really bother to get dressed properly. Rather hastily, he quickly equipped himself with his usual hoodie and jeans and answered the patiently waiting Leon. Rather awkwardly, the shorter male gave a rather cheeky little smile.

“U-Um… good morning! Sorry I took a bit.” Makoto realized he was still blushing, a fact he cursed. “Um, kinda tripped over and fell. Lucky me?”

Leon seemed trying hard not to laugh. _“Y-You tripped?!_ Dude, _how do you even – “_

Seeing the hidden implications of humiliation in Makoto’s eyes made the red-head realize he wasn’t talking to his usual baseball locker room buddies. Rather, somebody who was arguably a lot more sensitive.

“U-Uh… sorry.” It was Leon’s turn to blush, proceeding to direct his thumb outside of Makoto’s room. “Err… I’ve got called to pick you up for breakfast. Both Chihiro-chan and Kyoko-chan were thoughtful enough to try to see if they can’t pick you up. I’ve objected at first, given what you were most likely dealing with… but man, ya _can’t_ miss breakfast! You need some food to cheer you up after – “

Makoto hastily cut him off. “Err, I think I’m fine knowing what happened last night was in the past. Personally, I’d prefer if we can move on from there.” To emphasize his point, he gave a rather sweet, ingenue smile, regardless of how forced it came to be.

Leon got the hint, lighting up. Awkwardly, the wannabe rock star awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Aw, crap… sorry, I forgot you were still – u-um, nevermind!” Suddenly clenching his fists, he pumped them up skyward. “You’re right, we’re _moving on from **that**! _ Let’s get some grub, eh Naegs?”

Makoto, for the first time in quite a span of time, giggled and gave a small smile. “Yeah, that sounds wonderful. Um, would you lead the way?”

The two boys went to meet up with the rest of the students. Makoto internally preyed nobody whiffed too hard at him, given his lack of a shower and… _incident._

* * *

**(Music Continues)**

_Day 5 – Cafeteria – 7:31 AM_

“Leon Kuwata! Makoto Naegi!” Taka stood rigidly and gave both boys a salute. _“You’re timing is impeccable!_ We were just going to begin the morning meeting!”

Indeed, as the two boys walked in, both of them lit up upon seeing the massive buffet selection available. Traditional Japanese breakfasts were an obvious choice to both Asian boys, but the wide variety of more western breakfast pieces – bacon, pancakes, omelets and so forth – dotted the buffet tray. It didn’t take a second-hand guess to figure who would’ve prepared all of this other than the person who was keeping them trapped here.

“I gotta give Monokuma _some_ credit where it’s due.” Hifumi said this as he happily munched on the bacon. “Guy may be keeping us trapped here, but he makes a _great_ meal!”

“No kidding! Like, jeez, what’s in his processors that lets him cook this well? And _who’s the cooking team?!_ More replicas of himself?” Aoi was helping herself to a box’s worth of donuts. “Meh, who cares? Yo guys, wanna join us?”

Both Leon and Makoto looked at each other and simply smiled. They were quick to find their seats.

As both boys made themselves comfortable, they eagerly tried to ignore the fact that two seats that were occupied just a matter of days ago were no longer there. Leon helped himself to some pancakes while Makoto was having a more traditional Japanese dish. Everyone was trying to pretend nothing was different from last time… but how much longer can everybody lie to themselves? How much more can everybody pretend everything is okay?

They’ll find that answer out rather quickly.

“So.” Celeste took a sip from her royal milk tea. “Is _nobody_ going to acknowledge the fact two of us are dead, or are we still going to pretend everything is okay?”

**(Music Stops)**

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing to turn to Celeste’s rather harsh comment and _stare._ The stares were, generally speaking, a mix of anger, sadness, or both.

Chihiro was, for a better lack of a word, the “sadness” camp. “What…? Why would you bring that up _now_ of all times…?”

“Y-Yeah, seriously…” Toko hissed. “C-Can’t we eat our breakfast in peace without us having to r-remember what we’re _all_ going through…?”

“Oh, _come_ now, Toko-chan. Don’t tell me you’re going to pay no mind to the events that occurred yesterday, non?” Celeste shook her head. “Two people – as I’ve said – are _dead._ Specifically, Togami and Saya – “

 _“Will you kindly stop?!”_ Taka yelled out, uncharacteristically frustrated. _“Gosh,_ we don’t _need_ to hear your cynicism! Besides, we were _just_ going to begin the morning meeting!”

“Yeah, c’mon Celeste! Don’t be _that_ girl!” Junko looked angry, but her facial expression quickly retreated into sadness. “We… we can’t just dwell on this. Not after all that we’ve seen yesterday. I mean, yeah, we can’t look past it, but we can’t dwell on it either! We need to live for them, as they would do for us.”

“Yeah, Junko’s right! Don’t you dare try to disrespect their memory!” Aoi hissed. “And more than that, can you _please_ not be a jerk and make the mood more dour than it has to be?”

Everyone sat in silent; Celeste seemed particularly non-plussed by the multitude of negative reactions she was getting. Kyoko, eventually spoke up.

“While your concerns are appreciated, Celeste… for the sake of morale, we shouldn’t bring it up.” Kyoko shook her head. “After all, if we’re all letting this get to our heads, how can we ever find a way to get out of here? There’s still the plausibility escape awaits us if we keep a cool head.”

Silence.

And just like that, Celeste began _laughing._

**(Music – Despair Syndrome (Ver. 2) –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM>)**

It wasn’t a joyous laugh or anything of the sort. Celeste was well and truly _cackling._ And each chortle the mysterious gambler did simply _reeked_ of bitterness, cynicism, and a weary view on the world. And eventually, she stopped, having took in a sharp breath of air from all her laughter.

“Oh dear, you really _are_ dense… aren’t you, _Kyoko-chan?”_ Even discounting the venom in those last two words, something about Celeste using proper formalities with somebody she was otherwise familiar with caused the room to turn cold in an instance. “Be honest with yourself. Don’t lie. Whomever the killer is, they have our imprisonment secured down pat. There’s no escape from being “logical,” no reprieve until one of us wins this game, and let me just assure you that the last person who was reminded of “remaining calm” _also_ killed Togami and put the blame on Leon. Unless your misguided optimism had you forget that _already?”_

Leon, who was eating his meal ignoring Celeste, finally froze. “I… but that’s – “

He was quickly cut off by Mondo, who finally _roared_ after having done his part in ignoring the gambler. _“You fuckin’ bitch! How the fuck can you say that?!_ You shouldn’t fuckin’ _disregard_ what Togami and Sayaka went through, so how the fuck do you think that – “

“Think _what?_ That I should have a smidgen of sympathy for a _murderer?”_ That shut Mondo up quickly. “Now, Monsieur, let me just confirm it with you if you really forgot it so soon: Sayaka Maizono? She’s a _murderer._ She _killed_ Togami in cold blood, and she promptly and unceremoniously was executed for it once she was found out. Unless, of course, you’ve already forgotten about that so soon?”

Mondo was trembling with anger, but even he couldn’t deny Celeste’s words. “Th-That’s…”

“Um, not to imply I don’t get what you’re saying, but…” Hifumi cleared his throat nervously. “Where _are_ you going with this?”

“Well…” Celeste paused, then laughed. “Hifumi, have you ever heard of the term a ‘zero-sum game’?”

Hifumi blinked. “…no?”

Kyoko, who was keeping in her anger as best as she could, spoke calmly and slowly. “If I recall correctly… the simplest explanation is that it’s a “winner-takes-all” game?”

“Correct. In zero-sum games, there’s no splitting of the rewards; only the victor takes all. That is the basic game theory behind poker… as is, of course, this very game we’re _all_ trapped in.” Celeste smiled as sweetly a poisonous snake. “Fact of the matter? People die all the time in tragedies like these. That’s a fact of life, and we shouldn’t let the fact that this was all erred by _utter stupidity_ get in the way of that fact. Point is… Sayaka and Byakuya? If they were truly going to act the way they did in such an instance, maybe it would’ve been better off if they’ve ceased to live before that point? Spare everyone the trouble of having to share resources and secrets with them.”

Everyone had no response to that – only seething, frustrated _anger._

 _“Th… The fuck?!”_ Leon stood up, almost ready to take a swing at Celeste. _“HOW THE ABSOLUTE FUCK CAN YOU SAY THAT?!”_

“Why…? _Why?!”_ Makoto, too, was uncharacteristically angry. _“Why would you say something so heartless…?!”_

Kyoko’s composure finally cracked; she was _very_ evidently _seething_ at this point – a sentiment shared by even Chihiro and Sakura, though the former was also sniffling weakly at that point.

“Why… I don’t understand why _anybody_ would say that…!” Chihiro cried, nonetheless hinting at her frustration.

Sakura, at long last, stood up. “Alright. I’ve made myself scarce because it wasn’t my place to talk about this… but if you have nothing positive to contribute here? I think you should leave in that instance. Unless, of course, Kyoko has no objections?”

Meanwhile, Makoto took a second to glance over at Kyoko, who was trembling gently in her own chair. “Yes… I quite second that sentiment. I think. _You should leave. **This table.”**_

Makoto felt a chill down his spine. This was the most visibly angry the Ultimate Lucky Student has _ever_ seen Kyoko. Her teeth were bared enough that he felt it was a miracle he couldn’t grate metal.

Meanwhile, Celeste simply shook her head silently. “Oh… I see I’m no longer welcome here, then? So must I excuse myself in such an instance? Very well. I guess I’ll just take my royal milk tea and go elsewhere.”

Taking her plate of tea, she began to motion outside. “I will no longer trouble you with my presence. But of course… this means that I’ll no longer feign interest in presenting myself as a figure within your “morning meetings”. I’ll be alone in my room from here onwards, presuming you wish to speak to me.”

And just like that, Celeste left without so much as a hint of regret written all over her face.

**(Music – Intermission: Beautiful Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Rii-9aUQE>)**

Leon simply sat down. “God. What a bitch. As if I didn’t have any doubt in my mind earlier that she was a fuckin’ _asshole…”_

Yasuhiro simply stroked his hairdo. “Yeah… I didn’t really comment as it wasn’t in my place to talk about it. But this? Yeah, even _I_ have limits for what I can joke about.”

“Yeah… I feel you…” Taka turned to Kyoko, concerned. “Kyoko-chan, are you gonna be okay? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this angry before.”

Kyoko, ever an enigma, seemed to have calmed herself down. “…yes. I’m… fine. I just personally find her rather infuriating is all.”

Everyone sat there at the table, before dumbly nodding. Leon, meanwhile, barely had any enthusiasm written over his face.

“I’m not feeling all that good, guys… I may need to lie down for a bit.” Leon’s voice dripped of melancholy. “Excuse me.”

As Leon quickly cleared out, Toko looked rather depressed too. “Y-Yes. I… would like to leave now. I-I’ll be back, I just… d-don’t feel so good…”

Toko was the second one to clear out.

“…so.” Kyoko turned to everyone, concern evident on her face. “Does anybody else want to leave the morning meeting? Or should we all stay?”

“Nah… I’m good for now. It isn’t like I really have much else I would want to do with my time, in any case.” Makoto smiled. “Though… later on, I should check on Leon. For now, why don’t we finish breakfast together?”

“Yeah… that’s a good idea…” Chihiro sounded far less depressed than anybody would have expected, but the young girl was puzzling to himself all the while.

“Hm? Somethin’ wrong, Chihiro-chan?” Yasuhiro said this with a cocked eyebrow.

“Oh, um! No, nothing really.” The young girl was clearly thinking to herself. “I just… don’t get it. Being this cold… I have a hard time imagining it was something that’s innate in her. I’m just wondering if there’s other factors that caused her to act this way.”

Hifumi merely shrugged in reply to this. “I dunno. Maybe she was just born a complete jerk? That seems like an obvious answer…”

“I want to believe that, but… she said as though people dying is a natural part of any tragedy. It just gets me thinking what she means by that…” Chihiro pursed her lips. “I mean… I wouldn’t mind checking up on her at a later point. I’d love to see her own point of view on the matter, if that makes sense.”

Nobody quite had an answer to that.

“Well, regardless… whatever that bear has in store for all of us? I can definitely imagine we’ll get a fistful of his bullshit later on.” Mondo sighed grimly. “For now… let’s all eat. Get ourselves filled up before we have the rest of the day ahead of us.”

Everyone had no objections to that.

Makoto, of course, was deep in his own thoughts. _(Talk about an eventful morning… but still, I have so many questions. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of Monokuma, Leon and Toko seem really depressed, and Celeste… well, I’m in awe that she had the gall to say_ that. _But regardless… the first one’s paramount in my mind. Who could possibly say something so cruel in the first place…? And more than that…)_

Makoto looked up to the fake window. _(Who exactly_ is _the person controlling Monokuma?)_

* * *

**(Music - Nightmare in a Locker -<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SuBfOizAE>)**

_Day 5 – ??? – ???_

“We need to talk.”

Mukuro, who was out of her Junko disguise, finally confronted her sister… who was, as it happened, enamored with the multitude of screens present in this security room. Junko only paused for a split second before turning around and giving a rather saccharine smile.

“Why, hiiiii! Heehee!” Junko giggled rather girlishly, having assumed one of her multitude of personas. “C’mon, why the long fact, Sis? Be happy! There’s no reason why you _shouldn’t,_ so let’s turn that frown upside-down! Well? Whaddya say – “

“Listen to me. I’ve used some of your… _access_ to the second floor and I must ask you.” Mukuro was rather uncharacteristically angry now. “What. Have you. _Done. With. The place?_ We did _not_ agree to a complete misuse of the budget like this.”

Junko, as it stood, pouted. “Oh, c’mon… don’t you get it? I’ve made those renovations for the _entire_ building, silly!” The pink-haired mastermind paused then and there. “Well, except the first floor. We kiiiiiiiiinda ran out of time before that point. But still, we’ve managed to do all sorts of cool stuff with all the money we’ve gotten from those silly _saps_ on the outside world! Just relax and go with the flow, Mukuro!~”

Mukuro, at this rate, was starting to get irritated. “’Going with the flow’ is _one_ thing, but couldn’t have you at least informed me of not just all the renovations _upstairs_ – excessive as they are already – but for the nature of the class trial?! What goal do you think you have by throwing money that would be used to the prolonged nature of sustaining the students _keepsake_ here?”

“You shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you, Mukuro-chan.”

Almost as if on a cue, Junko pushed up a rather intellectual pair of glasses, her cheerful, cutesy persona evaporating for something more clinical. “Logically speaking, this is all for the greater good of despair as an ideology – despair _is_ chaos, after all, and without chaos, how can there be any hope of change? Sometimes, relatively speaking, one must put aside their personal feelings and just accept the ebb and flow of despair as is… right?”

Mukuro chewed her lip. She _hated_ it when she did that. “Still… you could have at least told me…”

“Well, I _could…_ but that would’ve been illogical to do so, given the overall maximum-efficiency direction I was taking.”

Mukuro was getting rather irritated. “How much longer are you going to _mock_ me with this pseudo-intellectualism just because Jin told you so? Just because you would’ve been bored otherwise?”

A brief pause. And the clinical persona of Junko gave an equally-blunt response.

“Yes. And frankly, you – as a soldier – should do your part and not question my orders, Mukuro. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few – and the best way to truly have people embrace despair is having its slow tendrils seep into their mind and, invariably, corrupt them to our standards.” Junko smiled calmly. “Now, do you have any other questions?”

Mukuro paused. “…no.”

“And will you stop misbehaving with your outbursts?”

“Yes.”

“Do I need to _punish_ you for disobedience? Or do you think you can manage?”

Mukuro turned red in response to that. “No… what you request will be… fulfilled.”

Junko smiled, nodding. “Excellent. Return to me if anything comes up. Not that I won’t know about it at that stage; my analytical skills would’ve likely picked up on it by the time you’ve came back.”

Mukuro stood there for a split second before quietly walking off, traces of utter dissatisfaction lingering in the pit of her stomach. Meanwhile, Junko switched to a more vulgar person of hers and cackled.

“Hehe…! Fuck yeah! Looks like the whore knew her place after all.” Junko giggled rather lustfully. “Of course, she knew her place a _long_ time ago in my arms… rawr. Now then…”

She brought up a screen and saw all the sparkling renovations present on the second floor. All Junko had to react to the surprisingly-beautiful sight was with a smarmy like grin.

“Oh, I cannot wait to see the looks on those fuckin’ _morons’_ faces. To have a seeming reprieve from the rest of the depths of Hell… only to be dragged back in.” Junko grinned from ear to ear. “Despair is fuckin’ _fun. Hehehehehe… hahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”_

Even Mukuro wasn’t out of earshot when she heard Junko’s cackling. And with it, she was quick to resume her disguise and meet up with the rest of the group in terse silence.

* * *

 **(Music – Cool Morning –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0QGb_rRik** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0QGb_rRik) **)**

_Day 5 – Staircase 2F – 10:08 AM_

“So, any reason we’ve been called here?”

“Not a clue, man. Monokuma just… _announced_ that we’d come here to see the Mastermind’s hard work on the second floor. And I guess this marks the point we _finally_ get some answers.” You can almost hear the shrug (and mild depression, given what Celeste had to say still rattled him) in Leon’s reply, but Makoto – to whom the answer was directed towards – still couldn’t help but wonder what _really_ lied beyond this giant doorway with a massive lock and key in the middle. Makoto could only hazard a guess in _that_ regard.

Fortunately, with all thirteen students present, they wouldn’t have to wait for an answer _that_ much longer.

“So, is nobody going to guess what _is_ beyond this door, then?” Celeste blithely asked in the most transparent fashion possible. “Or are we going to sit here twiddling our thumbs waiting to die?”

Nobody had a kind word to say to Celeste’s snippy little remark. Instead, _everybody_ shot the gambler a fierce glare.

“Just. Fuck. _Off already.”_ Mondo was growling loudly at this rate. _“Jesus, can’t you shut up for five seconds?! You’re making everybody_ else _miserable as shit!”_

Celeste only had a scoff to give to that. “Please, I’m only speaking the truth; this is a Death Game, yes? Why must _I_ have to remain silent in regards to an experience where _all_ of our lives are at risk?”

Kyoko, despite having showed earlier irritation with the abrasive Ultimate Gambler, nonetheless interjected. “Maybe because everybody wants to keep to morale than dwell on the fatalities that happened so far? That, and I don’t think you really hold any place to comment; your little remarks have done more than enough in upsetting Kuwata-kun and Fukawa-chan.”

Leon chewed his lip gently. “Yeah, I… uh, don’t want to talk about it.”

Toko was a little less dignified, wringing her hands while trying not to cry. “T-Togami, I… I…”

Celeste, seeing both students’ discomfort, shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Fine. Live in ignorance if you dare wish; I’m only speaking the truth of our current situation.”

“And y’see, Celeste?” Hiro shook his head. “I think this is why nobody likes you here.”

“Shut up.”

Silence came over the group once again – awkward silence, for sure, but silence still. Makoto took the moment to think about what _exactly_ Monokuma could want of everybody here… and thus choosing not to dwell on the matter all that much. He knows that _whatever_ the bear is up to, he’s inscrutable, and this is only going to be a further sign that things are going to get much, _much_ worse in the scheme of things.

And that’s the part Makoto dreads the most: he _doesn’t understand_ why _anybody_ would do this.

**(Music Stops)**

_*kzzzt*_

_“Thank you, boys and girls, for waiting oh-so-very-patiently in regards to our opening ceremony of the second floor!”_ The comm flared to life as a certain ursine’s obnoxious voice echoed from it. _“Now then, as you reward for surviving your first trial… I would like to present to_ all _of you your first bits and pieces of good old entertainment! And with it… BEHOLD! Las Monogas!”_

And just like that, the door opened. And with it, thus opened a world of complete and utter wonder.

And frankly, the music blaring from the speakers to set the tone made things all the more _bizarre._

 **(Music – Whims of Fate –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7ecVrNdPU** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7ecVrNdPU) **)**

What used to be a normal school seemed to have been remodeled into a setpiece straight out of a Yakuza film, with glowing neon signs, colorful, gaudy lights and steel “frames” in place of where the swimming pool and library should be. Indeed, they’ve been completely placed with building frames that _give_ the impression they’re actual stores, like a bookstore or pool in case of the academic replacements.

Possibly the crazies thing was… the ceiling. _Wait, are we outside?_ was but one question on everybody’s minds, as towers of steel and dancing night lights made up a wonderfully black sky… and between the pool and the library, there was a _massive_ tower of a casino in the front, complete with a blinking neon lights. Needless to say, _everybody’s_ thoughts could be summed up in one word:

“Is that a…” Aoi’s jaw was metaphorically on the floor. “…casino? And are we _outside?”_

“No, sadly. If you look closely enough, there _is_ some CGI and screen tearing on display. It seems they’ve tried to replicate the feeling of a red-light district for the sake of décor.” Celeste clicked her tongue. “Still, the music’s catchy. A shame that there doesn’t seem to be a real casino of sorts.”

“Y-Yeah, I recognize this music. It’s from… that one game, right? Persona?” Chihiro hummed with wonder. “Just… what _could_ be the point of this place?”

“Well lemme just go on to clarify that there sure as _shit_ is a casino here!”

 **(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Lesson –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk) **)**

“Oh, for the love of…” Leon’s annoyance was apparent as a frighteningly-familiar ursine appeared out of nowhere, _materializing_ in front of the students.

“So… there _is_ a casino here?” Hifumi blinked. “But if I recall… there’s like, four floors to the building? How can you manage to fit something _that_ big?”

“Yeah, I’m wondering that very thing myself…” Hiro shook his head. “But not as much as _how the HELL DO YOU APPEAR OUT OF THIN AIR LIKE THAT?! Are you some sort of malevolent murder-spirit?”_

“Wellllllll, if you mean “murder-spirit” as in “I-murder-people-to-crush-their-spirits,” then you’re _spot on!_ But anyways, not the point.” Monokuma cleared his throat. “Anyway! My purpose for today – on order of the, ahem, _benefactor_ who’s keeping all you sorry saps here, is to go on and take a tour through Las Monogas, complete with a book store, swimming pool – oh, and get this! Our own very _casino-slash-love hotel,_ the Kuma Sutra Casino! The absolutely _bear-fect_ place to indulge in all of your carnal and material vices! Upupu!”

 _Everybody_ froze in shock at that.

“D-Did he just say…” Aoi couldn’t believe her own ears.

“Love… hotel?” Sakura, in a rare display of embarrassment, felt her cheeks tint pink.

Kyoko took a split second to roll her eyes before assuming her poker face. “…so. Provided this isn’t a joke, we can assume the Mastermind is either psychotic or a sex offender. Or both.”

“Yeah, but… the hell? _A love hotel?! Is this some kind of fuckin’ prank?!”_ Mondo raised his fist at Monokuma. “I swear, if it wasn’t for the last time I nearly _blew the fuck up,_ I would be murdering you here and now you fetid piece of sh – “

“Languaaaaaaaaaage! Didn’t your momma teach you _manners?”_ Monokuma reveled in Mondo’s fuming at that crass “your-mom” joke before reassuming. “But yes, I can confirm there _is_ a casino ready for all of you kiddos! Allow me to at _least_ show you guys around, hmm?”

“W-Wait! Um…” Taka, who was particularly embarrassed by the love hotel, had a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. “Wasn’t there, um, supposed to be a library and swimming pool on this floor? Had that gone away too?”

“Hm? Nah. Between you and me kid, Las Monogas is just for thematic enjoyment; all curricular activities are still well and truly _present_ in this wondrous pseudo-city of sin! _Bwahahahahaha!”_

“T-That’s another thing! Um, you’ve modeled the city off of a Red-Light District in Tokyo.” Chihiro spoke up meekly. “W-Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to take pages from Las Vegas itself? This… _doesn’t_ look anything like the namesake of this place.”

“Grrrrr… _shut up! IT’S AN ARTISTIC DECISION, DAMN YOU?! CAN’T YOU SEE THAT?!”_ Monokuma’s sudden outburst told the poor girl all she needed to know about his opinion on the matter.

 _“E-Eep! Sorry, s-sorry!”_ It’s almost to the point the young girl began weeping.

“Well, can we just…” Leon was going to say his sentence in one go, but a heavy-handed sigh served as a break. “…can we just _get this crap-ass ‘tour’ out of the way?_ Some of us are still dealing with the mess from yesterday, y’know.”

“Leon…” Makoto said that with a mild wince. _(Damnit… just hang in there, okay? This’ll… this’ll all be done with before either of us know it.)_

“So… any other interruptions? No?” Monokuma, rather inquisitively, began turning eyes on all of the students thus far, as if looking for an answer. _“Alright then!_ Let’s all get a move-on, shall we? Follow me post-haste, everyone! _Chop-chop!”_

As if to emphasize his point, Monokuma clapped his… paws? Hands? Whatever those stubby little artificial things were, he made sure the students all lined up in neat fashion as the tour began. Barring Toko, of course; the poor girl was shrinking from sheer humiliation.

“I…” Toko buried her beet-red face in her hands. “I-I am going to _d-die…”_

* * *

 **(Music – Whims of Fate –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7ecVrNdPU** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7ecVrNdPU) **)**

_Day 5 – Kuma Sutra Casino – 10:08 AM_

“Welp, heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we are! Welcome – _dadadaaaaaaaaa –_ to the _Kuma Sutra Casino!”_

Monokuma’s enthusiasm for the flashy opulence on display was not met with the kind of enthusiasm he hoped – not that he cared what the hell they thought, anyways. Leon was one of the many members who were _not_ having any of it, as the fake redhead soon slumped back a pillar of gold.

“Goddamn… how much more of a waste of time can you get?” Leon shook his head, still moody enough to make a particularly pithy remark.

Indeed, slot machines, poker tables, blackjack tables, roulette tables – everything what should be expected of a casino is here for the world to see, but the numerous usage of hearts and sex symbols came off as creepy to almost _everybody,_ nevermind the pillars and décor of solid gold added an air of vanity to this great palace. Hifumi, who was ever the fan of pop culture, had a pretty snarky remark to give.

“Jeez, what is the Mastermind, a Persona 5 fan? He or she’s even using a rip _straight_ outta the game!” Hifumi shook his head. “I mean, A+ for visuals, but why does it feel so… _vain?”_

“I really do think ‘ridiculously _stupid’_ would be the right term here.” Junko, bizarrely enough, wasn’t her usual cheerful self; that remark clearly had a lot of snide disdain loaded into it.

“Your concerns are _noted,_ Junko.” Monokuma’s subtle threat quickly shut Junko up. “In any case, we’ve got all kinds of entertainment available for you fine folk of Hope’s Peak! Why, we’ve got the average casino games, yeah, but above this floor? Ohohoho. For all you _lovebirds_ out there, we’ve got a wide assortment of “privacy chambers” where you can – “

 _“STOP.”_ _Everybody,_ even the perverted members of the group, said that in almost perfect unison.

Makoto, for the first time since the trial’s climax, lost his patience with the bear. “Seriously, _what’s the point of this place?!_ You trying to entertain us? Get us to… _d-do it?_ Well whatever the hell you’re thinking, I dunno why you’d even spend it all when – so help me, even as Ultimates – don’t have _this_ bizarre taste in leisure! _Christ!”_

“Why not, _you pseudo-shota?”_ As Makoto turned a dark shade of red upon hearing _that_ comment from Monokuma, Celeste broke into an uncharacteristic giggle – with Mondo and Leon trying their _hardest_ not to join her, caring for Makoto as they are. “Going by the way you’ve turned red as a beet, you’re only _proving my point!_ Why, I’ll just repeat one of my earlier witty comments for the sake of it: kids like you would hump a goddamned _traffic cone_ if you’d get off of it! Don’t think for a moment you haven’t pulled down the pants and beaten it to picture of _Scarlet Fucking Johansen!”_

Makoto was left utterly speechless. “I… t-that’s… _whaaa…?”_

“Your terrible attempts at humor are noted, but Makoto isn’t exactly wrong.” In a quick attempt to spare Makoto’s dignity (and her own, given she, too, was blushing madly), Kyoko quickly jumped in. However, in a rare lapse of her usual stoicism, she looked away nervously as her cheeks burned. “T-That said… why that particular analogy to an American actress…?”

 _“Grrrrr! SHUDDUP!_ Ugh, this is _pointless!_ Why am I even bothering with you kids?!” Monokuma paced around before growling. _“GAH!_ Fine, I’m calling off the tour. Ugh, and I was planning all sorts of cool stuff too…!”

“To be blunt, I think you’re definition on what’s ‘cool’ is in bad taste.” Celeste rolled her eyes. “Given you seem desperate to _prove_ some kind of point on teenagers, even I was only interested in the idea of a brothel-casino from a noir standpoint. But this is just… tacky? Gaudy? Completely lacking in refined taste and – “

 _“I GET IT, I GET IT! FOR FUCK’S SAKE!”_ Monokuma’s eyes turned red as he _roared._ “You know what, just get out! OUT! Though I’m just gonna say as much and say that you _can_ win keys if you even _give a shit_ about playing here! Keys where you can take a deep glimpse into everybody’s darkest desires!”

 _That_ piqued Celeste’s interest. “…okay, I rescind every insult I’ve given so far. _What_ about ‘darkest desires’?”

“Jesus, make up your mind! You wanna bang or not?” Mondo bellowed, getting more than a little exasperated with all the antics having gone on for so long.

“No. Just want to learn more about all of your darkest secrets.” Celeste gave a small little grin of triumph. “Better in the know than not, yeah?”

That sly little smirk told everybody in the room all they needed to know about the gothic gambler. Appropriately, they all took a step back.

“Well… yes. If you win enough Monocoins from gambling here, you _can_ visit the dreamscape of one of the user’s darkest fantasies for you to gorge into! Just for _whomever_ gets the key for that particular individual! Not like I’m gonna make it very easy on you, hehe.”

Almost as if to prove his point, he pulled down the giant sign that listed all the keys on display – eighteen of them, specifically…

** Key Listings **

**Lucky Sun – UNAVAILABLE**

**Moral Hierophant – 100 Monocoins**

**~~Affluent Emperor~~ – OUT OF STOCK**

**Diamond Strength – 200 Monocoins**

**Superstar Chariot – 200 Monocoins**

**Two-Dimension Hermit – 300 Monocoins**

**Clairvoyant Fool – 300 Monocoins**

**Programmed Priestess – 400 Monocoins**

**~~Sensational Lovers~~ – OUT OF STOCK**

**Mysterious Moon – 500 Monocoins**

**Swimming Star – 500 Monocoins**

**Writing Temperance – 600 Monocoins**

**Killer’s Devil – UNAVAILABLE**

**Martial Empress – 700 Monocoins**

**Gambler’s Fortune – 700 Monocoins**

**Griever’s Death – UNAVAILABLE**

**Hanged Diva – 800 Monocoins**

**Judgmental Stalwart – UNAVAILABLE**

**[REDACTED]’s World – UNAVAILABLE**

Everybody looked on in a mix of confusion, shock and mild worry – especially given Hiro, who was knowledgeable about tarot readings to _begin_ with, knew what they perfectly meant. Appropriately enough, it was he who first broke the tenuous silence.

“Umm…” Hiro, unusually for even himself, was thinking of ways to dress this up. “Is it wrong I can figure out who everyone here is thanks to me knowing the tarot’s symbolism?”

“This is… awfully disturbing.” Makoto put it rather succinctly, despite being just as horrified. Regardless, he was quick to notice the last one. “Who’s the one that’s redacted?”

Monokuma chortled darkly. “Ohh… our _benefactor.”_

**(Music Stops)**

_That_ brought a quick damping of the mood.

Leon, in that moment, looked on with no lack of rage written on his face. “You mean… the Mastermind?”

**(Music – Despair Syndrome –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T048Hz17DbY>)**

_“Correctomundo!_ None other than “our benefactor” themselves!” Monokuma chortled aloud, as if to emphasize his authority-of-power over the rest of the students. “And who could this devious mastermind be?! That’s for you to decide, of course – I’m not gonna bother answering the questions _for_ you! Puhuhuhuhu!”

Kyoko shook her head. “Cryptic as ever, I see. You really are useless.”

“Woah… harsh. I likey.” Junko gave a small smile, somewhat impressed with Kyoko’s insult. “Well to be honest, I think we ought to agree that looking onto others’ secrets is gonna be creepy and wrong. I take it we can come to _that_ conclusion, can we?”

“Mmm… no, I wouldn’t say so.” Celeste smiled darkly. “You _are_ talking to the Ultimate Gambler; trust me when I say I am… _interested_ in getting to know more about you. Even if the overall love-hotel theme here _is_ gaudy, I _do_ think that there _is_ some merit to be informed about everybody.”

“Hmm. So, I’m assuming you wish to keep yourself proper here?” Sakura thought about this before nodding. “Though Junko-chan is right; it _does_ seem awfully underhanded to look into people’s private information like that.”

“Yeah, and totally unethical!” Aoi cried out, having been silent for a brief stint of time. _“Don’t you, like,_ realize _that it’s all kinds of messed up to peer into people’s secrets like that?”_

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m aware it’s unethical. I just don’t there.” Celeste’s sweet smile said all there was to know about the girl. “Now, I take it I can’t make myself proper here for the remainder of my time spent here?”

Everyone looked on in silence. Leon, rather harshly, gave a pretty brutal opinion on that matter:

“Frankly, you’ve made the mood of _everything_ worse just by your presence alone.” Leon seethed darkly. “I think we _all_ could use a break from your ugly fuckin’ mug.”

“Ooh, _Leon,_ you wound me! Now I have to mop up all of the blood on the floor!” Celeste darkly giggled. “Well, I’ll make myself proper, why don’t I. I do hope you all have a good time with everything though, yes? If things are all _that much better_ without me, then maybe – just maybe – I’ll keep my presence with you undisturbed here. Now, if you excuse me…”

And just like that, Celeste excused herself, particularly finding herself comfortable elsewhere in the vicinity. Everybody else was here in that moment, and Monokuma – of course – did a head count to make sure nobody _else_ wanted to leave.

 **(Music – Whims of Fate –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7ecVrNdPU** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7ecVrNdPU) **)**

“So, I take it nobody has any questions? _No?”_ Monokuma did a faux-gasp in that moment. “Well then! Might as well see where Toko and Chihiro are, as **_THEY SEEM TO NOT BE PRESENT FOR THIS ABORTION OF A TOUR, WHAT THE HELL?!”_**

 _Everybody_ lit up in that moment, turning to each other – particularly Taka. “Yeah, where _is_ Toko-chan and Chihiro-chan?! They’re nowhere to be found! It isn’t like them to just be _absent!”_

“I can only imagine why, ya goody-goody.” Mondo rolled is eyes, in particular kicking a can that was trembling a lot – spilling out Chihiro _and_ Toko. “Found them.”

“A-Are we d-done?!” Toko stammered. “I-It was getting _really_ uncomfortable there…”

“S-Same… I…” Chihiro looked ready to cry, poor girl. “W-Why would anybody _like_ such a place…?”

Everyone with a grasp of empathy simply shook their heads. Makoto in particular felt more tired than he was _supposed_ to be at this time of day.

“Let’s just… go downstairs.” Makoto sighed. “It’s been a day and all.”

Nobody quite had objections to that – not even Monokuma. “Well, thanks for stopping by regardless! Remember, if you ever feel the need to beat that meat to a beautiful guy and/or girl, be sure to stop by the Kuma Sutra Casino – _all for your viewing pleasures! BWAHAHAHAHAA!”_

Nobody had the time for Monokuma’s shenanigans – not even Celeste, who was busy working out the math for robbing the Monocoin slots blind. Everybody else, however, just left – all with Makoto being just as deep in his own thoughts as last time.

 _(Damn it…)_ Makoto sighed. _(How long are we gonna be trapped here…?)_

………

……

…

**_INTERMISSION 1: When The Levee Breaks, I'll Have No Place To Stay – END_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 13_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **EDIT:** This chapter has been revised an expanded! Due to a lack of detail that went into this chapter, I felt like I wanted to separate this one with the actual next chapter proper! Sorry for the wait all!
> 
> Heheheheeeeeeeeeeeeh. Oh, this is getting _good._
> 
> Sorry it took a bit guys, but here’s the intermission! The second in-game chapter proper will be revealed next time. Until then, I hope you’ve enjoyed it! Stay frosty!~


	9. Chapter 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope’s Peak (Daily Life; Part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wide variety of things happen in the span of two days: the first of which being two unexpected alliances being forged... and with a heap of activity that is unbecoming of anything anybody's ever seen before that point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well slap my ass and call me sally! Another update, so soon?! Heck yeah.
> 
> ...well, not _so_ soon; I waited a month to update basically, lmao. Anyway, as an apology for not getting with the program or even fucking bothering to update Sporting Hopefuls, I hereby present to you the first official bit of **Chapter 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope’s Peak**! Everybody, I want to thank you all for having waited so patiently while I slacked off. But the important thing above all else is that I’m back; and I’ll be sure to update on a more regular timing!
> 
> Why? ‘Cuz I _love writing._ Duh.
> 
> Anyway, not much that really needs to be said – there’s definitely gonna be some culminations of everything we’ve done up to this point, so really, make of it as you will. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

**_CHAPTER 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope’s Peak – DAILY LIFE_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 13_ **

* * *

**(Music – Moon on the Water –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc) **)**

_Day 5 – Makoto’s Room – 8:42 PM_

After retiring early for the day, Makoto ultimately decided that he was too hungry to go to sleep.

It was his fault, really. Having so much on his mind over what occurred over today and the last couple of days… really began to wear on Makoto. He didn’t want to admit _that_ much, but that was the truth regardless. And if _he_ happened to feel emotionally exhausted, he really can’t help but even _imagine_ what Leon and Toko were going through – he shuddered to necessarily imagine the kinds of things _they_ were dealing with right now, what with Sayaka and Togami both being dead. But he still buried those dark thoughts to himself, and ultimately carried on with what he wanted to do above all else: get a quick snack before the inevitable 10 PM deadline.

He hopes nobody notices him in his pajamas, of course – he was both too tired and a little too lazy to really change out of them as he went for a snack.

Makoto snuck through the darkened hallways of Hope’s Peak before coming upon the section leading to the cafeteria. From afar, the upbeat music playing on the floor above was slightly audible, and at the rate it was blasting, it was gonna drive him _crazy_ – but ultimately, he didn’t let that distract him from just going to the cafeteria, getting a snack, and then – huh?

Wait… was that _arguing_ he heard? Indeed, voices that were faint but clearly angry resonated from the closed doors, and Makoto pressed his own ear against the door to catch a hearing of what was going on.

 **(Music – Finding Peace Party –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One782vERzc** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One782vERzc) **)**

 _“No! Mondo, what you’re saying is objectively false! It is_ you _who’s the coward for trying to confront all conflicts through physicality alone!”_

_“The fuck you said about me, you little goody-goody bitch?! You’ve got some fuckin’ nerve to lecture ME for being a stubborn shithead!”_

_(Taka and… Mondo?)_ Makoto lightened up in that moment. How much did he miss? _(What on Earth are they arguing about? …no, that isn’t important. At least not now. I should probably peek in to see what’s going on…)_

Makoto carefully opened the door to peer into the cafeteria, seeing two equally infuriated young men battle it out with words and tough gestures.

 _“You know what?! FINE!”_ Mondo roared, his face red with anger. _“You wanna fuckin’ go, Shinzo Abe? Try me! Name your challenge and I’ll kick your fuckin’ ass at it!”_

 _“A-ha! You wish to prove your superiority in a contest, yes?!”_ Taka was equally angry, if in a more (ironically) composed fashion. _“I challenge you to a sweat-off in the sauna! First person who drops out from the temperatures cranked to the_ highest _loses!”_

 _“So those are your terms, huh shrimp?! Fine! Let’s see what you can do about it!”_ Mondo roared again, before calming down a bit. “Still, we need a fuckin’ witness here, just so _everybody_ knows I’ve kicked your sorry ass… maybe like…”

Both boys turned to the door – and saw Makoto’s face sticking out. _“MAKOTO?!”_

“Errr… yeah, it’s me.” Makoto felt his cheeks color suddenly. “I, ah, heard everything.”

A pause. And then:

 _“You little shit.”_ Mondo hissed. “Don’t you fuckin’ _get_ that peepin’ on others is dishonorable?! _If you tell a single SOUL about this, I swear I will – “_

As Mondo raised his fist to demonstrate his point, Makoto flinched. _“Okay, okay, sorry!_ I-I’ll watch over your little, um, ‘sweat-off’! Just c’mon, don’t hurt me!”

Unfortunately for Makoto’s pride, his flailing opened the doors to reveal himself still in his pajamas – Mondo’s rage subsided with humor as he began snickering.

 _“D-Dude, seriously?! Ya didn’t even get dressed yet?!”_ Mondo cackled – Taka, who was blushing, interjected.

“W-Well, maybe he heard us while he was getting a late-night snack!” That seems like a reasonable justification, doesn’t it?!”

Makoto blushed even _more_ there, but he still felt the need to interject. “W-Well, that’s… actually the case down to a T. But that’s not the point! I wanna know why you guys want to do this when it’s almost night time?! You _know_ the curfew’s in little more than an hour, so _why_ again do you feel compelled to do this?!”

 _“To demonstrate our manhood, obviously!”_ Mondo howled. _“Why_ wouldn’t _we do that when the only_ other _man here is being a conceited fuckin’ asshole?!”_

 _(‘Only_ other _man here...?’)_ Makoto dared not ask for the sake of his dignity. _(What are you implying?!)_

His concerns largely went unsaid, though, as Taka retorted to the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. _“Well, to heck with you, then! You want to do this?! Fine! Meet me in the sauna_ here and now _so we can settle this! Be there, or be square!”_

Mondo seemed to follow Taka as he stormed off, but not before stopping to tell Makoto orders. _“The hell are you waitin’ for, small fry?! Be there, or be fuckin’ square!”_

And Mondo stormed off as well, leaving a _very_ confused Makoto amid all of this. Nonetheless, the luckster felt pressured to follow Mondo and Taka regardless. He took a moment to snap out of his moment of confusion to follow Mondo and Taka, who were already well ahead of him.

 _(Good grief… how did I get dragged into this?!)_ Makoto mouthed this all to himself as he ran after the two teenagers in pursuit.

* * *

**(Music – Cool Morning –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0QGb_rRik>)**

_Day 6 – Cafeteria – 7:18 AM_

“Hey, has _anybody_ seen Mondo or Taka yet? Anyone?”

Hiro’s exasperation with that _last_ given line couldn’t have been more obvious (or slightly out of character, given he didn’t seem particularly plussed with people’s arrivals in general), but he still raised a valid question: nine people were present in the cafeteria eating a morning meal and chatting around, as was Makoto – upon hear the Ultimate Clairvoyant ask such a question, he nervously cleared his throat and looked away. Celestia and Kyoko were nowhere to be seen, as expected – but it wasn’t like Taka or Mondo to be this late. Even for _Mondo,_ who never particularly felt plussed to meet school deadlines, this was later than usual; the fact Taka was nowhere to be seen raised even _more_ reason for concern, given his up-tight nature.

Chihiro didn’t really seem to pay this much heed; he simply took a bite from a bowl and spoonful of cereal and looked more _plausibly_ concerned compared to Hiro. “Yeah… it _is_ worrisome. I mean, I can at least picture Mondo arriving late… but Taka? I’m actually wondering what’s causing them to be late.”

Toko simply shook her head. “P-Probably doing what _b-boys_ do all the time! I-I dunno!”

“Hmm…” Leon turned to Makoto with a little focus written all-over his face… and then: “Hey Naegs, ya don’t happen to know anything, do you?”

Makoto _immediately_ began stammering. _“M-Me?!_ Why on Earth would I – “

“Dude, you’re a terrible liar and you _know_ it.” Leon chuckled good-heartedly. “Trust me, if Celes was here, you’d be caught in an instant.”

Makoto blushed as Hifumi seemed to join in on the conversation – despite sitting a good distance away  from the two. “Well, he’s still not wrong… hmm. You _do_ have to wonder where Master Mondo and Master Taka’s been after! Maybe they became friends, yes?”

 _Everybody_ turned to Hifumi with a look of incredulousness; Aoi sputtered on her drink for a split second before laughing. _“Them?! Friends?!_ Jeez, I’d appreciate _all_ of us getting along, but, ah… man, I _wish_ that was true. Things would seem a lot less confrontational thereafter.”

“Well, you’ll have to remember they _do_ have points at which they agree. So it isn’t entirely far-fetched.” Sakura smiled as she took a sip of her team. “Though it still _would_ be peculiar, given they’re as opposites as one would be.”

“Hmm…” Junko remained oddly quiet for such an energetic young girl, but she was also quick to pitch in her two cents. “Well… who says they aren’t friends anyway? I mean, just a thought, but it still seems as though – “

**(Music Stops)**

Suddenly, the door opened.

 _“Bro, that was absolutely frickin’ crazy!_ How’d you remain in the sauna for as long as you did?!”

“Through diligence and fortitude, ‘bro’! Ahahahahahaha!”

**(Music – Become Friends –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdNgbKYZAW4>)**

Much to _everybody’s_ shock, Taka and Mondo walked into the room… laughing together? Their arms were wrapped around the others’ back as they were cackling and… almost having a _good time?_ _Everybody’s_ jaw dropped a bit, excluding Hifumi and Junko, both of whom looked _incredibly_ proud at that moment, pumping their fists into the air.

Leon, in an _incredibly_ stunned fashion, turned to Makoto with an agape mouth. “Dude… what _were_ you hiding?”

Makoto turned beet red, clearing his throat nervously. “Err, that’s what I’ve been trying to work the courage to tell you! Y’see, Mondo and Taka were – “

 _“Hahahaha! Yo little guy, tell us all about last night!”_ Mondo grinned happily. “Me and Taka here were _badasses_ in the sauna last night! Our little stand-off in the sauna ended in a _tie! BAHAHAHAHAA!”_

Sakura slowly pronounced what was said, as if trying to make sense of it. “Sauna…”

Aoi turned beet red at the image of muscular men in the sauna. “…s-stand-off?!”

“Um… y-yeah, uh…” Makoto stammered, explaining himself. “Mondo and Taka had a bad argument last night that I walked into – I was then commandeered into acting as a standing judge for who could last in the sauna the longest. As you can tell by the way both Mond and Taka are ecstatic, well… let’s just say you can almost say they’ve become, ah… _friends_ from the whole thing.”

“So you’re telling me I was _right?! Agh!”_ Hifumi fumed. _“Dangit! I should’ve bet MONEY on that!”_

“Who cares if we didn’t bet?! I _totally called it!”_ Junko pumped her fists sky high. “I’m probably psychic or some crap to guess _that_ much!”

“Err… I sincerely doubt that.” Hiro chuckled worriedly.

Mondo and Taka finally sat down, ceasing their giddy laughter… but in tandem, proceeded to talk over each other with glee, clearly enjoying the other’s company. Makoto watched the delinquent and the straight-laced student cover a wide variety of topics together, and soon enough, Makoto felt himself beaming with joy.

“Y’know… it really doesn’t matter who’s prediction was right. Seeing friendship happen here is…” Makoto grinned even more. “Well, it’s the most _any_ of us can ask for, especially in times like these.”

Leon looked on at Makoto with a smile, shaking his head. “What, ya got that off of a fortune cookie or something?”

Makoto giggled. “Eh, maybe.”

For the moment of time, the mood seemed to lighten quite considerable – and before long, the positive interaction spread like wildfire throughout the cafeteria. And in this moment and this moment alone, the nine present students finally felt at ease with one another for the first time in recent memory… and beyond even _that,_ Makoto – for the first time – didn’t feel like an outcast anymore.

 _(I’m honestly really happy for them…)_ Makoto thought internally as he continued conversing with Leon. _(Surely this will last us through this Killing Game… won’t it?)_

He could only hope. Regardless, the mood simmered down as all students present finished their meals and went about on their daily routines.

* * *

**(Music Stops)**

_Day 7 – Female’s Bathroom – 1:40 PM_

Chihiro Fujisaki slowly began to feel at ease with female restrooms.

She never really liked to disclose on why she felt the need to acclimate to them, other than a potential summary of it being her being _extremely_ self-conscious with her form. That was certainly one way of describing it in truthfulness. But regardless, she finished with using the restroom at her own leisure and in that moment, was simply washing her hands on the automatic faucets. She was short as is, so she had to get a stool just to meet even height with the running water.

Humming gently, Chihiro proceeded to relax a bit as she scrubbed her hands free of bacteria… but then:

_“H-Huh?”_

Chihiro could’ve _swore_ she heard the door open to the outside of the rest room. Immediately, her skin tensed in that moment and goosebumps brushed against her frame… she paused for a second more, looking at the direction of the door slamming… before relaxing in that moment. Shyly, the programmer turned back to scrubbing her hands before –

**_SLAM!_ **

**(Music – Despair Syndrome –** **<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T048Hz17DbY>)**

Squealing and falling on her backside, she was only graced by the sight of… nothing. Absolutely nothing. And before long, _another_ harsh slam hit the doorway _outside_ of the room, immediately sending the girl into tears. Panicked breathing at _three_ doors slamming, with seemingly nobody else there to do so, gave Chihiro pause as she weakly muttered her own fears in one succinct world:

_“G-Ghosts…?!”_

She didn’t really waste much time. Without much ado, she immediately ran out of the restroom far sooner than she wanted to leave.

* * *

 **(Music – Nightmare in the Locker –** **<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_bLcY6c3os>)**

_Day 7 – Cafeteria – 4:03 PM_

_“There better be a damn good explanation for what’s going on here, guys!”_

It didn’t take long for word to come flying about over what happened _aside_ from Chihiro’s little incident that day – in quick order, all seven girls present were in the restroom at _some_ given time before whatever _happened_ there… well, suffice to say, happened. _Whatever_ it was. Whatever the sound of a quick entrance, unseen, before entering one the lone bathroom stall in the woman’s restroom before quickly leaving in short order. And all females present – even the unflappably stoic Kyoko – seemed _angry._

“Forgive my tone, but… Asahina-chan. Is. _Correct.”_ Kyoko was nonetheless stone-faced, but everybody present could _tell_ she was angry. “Is there _any_ particular reason you’d all thought it was a good idea to go into the _woman’s_ restroom like that?”

Naturally, everybody was present – even Celestia, who would’ve otherwise have been found on the upper floor of “Las Monogas” to herself, playing at the slots in the Kuma Sutra Casino. And suitably enough, she herself looked utterly _infuriated._ “Yes, _Kyoko-chan_ has better have a good explanation here. Let’s just say I’m losing my patience and will not be afraid to get… _abrasive_ with all of you if you try me.”

Celesta’s otherwise calm comment was _loaded_ with poisoned threats. Rather fittingly, all boys present simply either looked defensive, non-plussed, or something _else_ entirely (read: panicked). Leon, of course, was in the third category.

 _“C’mon! Why would I go into the restrooms to peep anyways?!”_ Leon raised his hands. _“I have_ standards, _for God’s sake!”_

 _“W-W-Well, perhaps_ Hifumi _over there h-had something to do with it!”_ Toko hissed furiously. _“H-He’s the b-biggest degenerate of them all…”_

 _“H-Hey, come on now! I was eating lunch while all of this happened!”_ Jabbing at Mondo’s shoulder, Hifumi looked at the delinquent pleadingly. _“C’mon, please Master Mondo! You know what I’m talkin’ about, yeah?!”_

 _“Fuck off, and don’t grovel, why don’tcha!”_ Mondo growled, _much_ less enthused from his newfound friendship with Taka – he still shook his head and sighed in resignation, however. “…yeah, Hifumi has an alibi. If what you’re sayin’ is correct – regarding the fourth, fifth and sixth hauntings – the one that occurred while Chihiro was out in the restroom – he was with me, eatin’ lunch. He’s got an alibi, and like hell _I’d_ do somethin’ _this_ fucked!”

“Y-Yeah! What Mondo said!” Taka looked defensive. “I would _never_ do anything of the sort to fellow female classmates. That is an _unacceptable_ breach of school conduct!”

The girls, at last, seemed to relax a bit. Celestia was the last to do so; simply put, she shook her head and caressed her forehead in an attempt to sooth the oncoming headache.

“But would somebody of Hifumi’s girth even be able to move that fast?” Celestia sighed, shaking her head. “Ugh, forget it. What other explanation do any of you cretins have for what happened here?!”

“Maybe… a ghost was involved?”

**(Music Stops)**

“A… g-ghost?” Makoto felt himself _immediately_ tense up in fear upon hearing _that_ – directly from _Hiro’s own lips._

“Y-You’re kidding, right dude…?” Junko, who remained quiet up to this point, looked horrified. “A _ghost?!”_

 **(Music – Spirit, Praise and Beauty –** **<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0_YV1PFnn8>)**

“Y-Yeah. A… _g-ghost.”_ Hiro shuddered. “I, uh, deal with paranormal jobs all the freakin’ time! The fact _all_ of us boys weren’t there during each breach of privacy only _proves_ that there’s a ghost among us! There _has_ to be!”

 _“A… A…”_ Chihiro looked ready to cry any second, poor girl. _“A g-g-g-g-ghooost?! B-But why – I don’t see why… th-that would…”_

Chihiro began crying in that moment, poor girl – and Aoi, on reflex, hugged her. _“Look what you did, you jerk! Y-You made Chihiro-chan cry!”_

“Nevermind that, Aoi-chan. The idea of there being a _ghost_ on these complexes is…” Kyoko shook her head. “Well, suffice to say, it comes off like an utterly ridiculous concept. What seems to be more likely is that there’s an individual among us who snuck in – it seems highly unlikely that any one of us would’ve been there to see _paranormal activity.”_

“B-But everybody has an alibi for all of the hauntings! D-Don’t tell me you’re _dismissing what Hiro’s saying like… t-that!”_ Toko seemed just as petrified herself. _“I-I mean, why_ wouldn’t _we have any sort of say in there being a ghost?!”_

“I’m a detective, no an occultist, Toko.” Kyoko sighed, pinching her temple. “Besides, it seems even _more_ likely that there could be multiple people at different times working at that speed. So… the least we can do is wait until there’s more evidence which to investigate at.”

“But…” Ominously, Hiro continued. “But what if it’s _Togami’s_ ghost? Or Sayaka?”

That elicited a mixed reaction – either petrified terror, anger or annoyance – Leon was firmly in the second camp, getting _very_ visibly agitated with Hiro using _Sayaka_ as an example of his delusions.

 _“Gimme a break! Don’t your freakin’ use Sayaka for that crap!”_ Leon lashed out. _“She’s dead! DEAD! And she wouldn’t wish_ any _of us to suffer like this!”_

“But… do you really know that?!” Hiro turned pale. “In my line of work, ghosts exist on a plentitude yet unseen… people say they don’t exist, but… they do. Not in the flesh, yes, but there _absolutely_ exists vengeful spirits from beyond the grave who want to commune with the living… spirits who had no reason to be tethered to this mortal plane of existence other than due to grief, _murder_ or vengeance. In which case – “

 _“I can’t take this anymore! I’m d-done!”_ Chihiro, still terrified, finally ran off in tears… leaving everybody else behind. And an even _more_ angry Aoi and Sakura.

“Smooth move! You made her  _run off,_ you jerk!” Aoi hissed.

“That was _completely_ uncalled for, Hiro.” Sakura shook her head, glaring _fiercely._ “Do you not bear any shame for your delusions?”

 _“I’m being completely honest, though! There could be a ghost among us!”_ Hiro cried defensively. _“Why don’t you believe me, for God’s sake?!”_

As arguing erupted among the others, Celestia stood back distantly – Makoto, who remained unusually quiet for the time, walked directly over to Celestia and gave the gothic girl a rather pleading look.

“Hey, Celes…” Makoto began, slowly. “Can you, um, do me a favor and check up on Chihiro? I’m worried that she’ll be scared out of her wits, and, uh… well, _you_ seem to have a good social head on your shoulders, if that makes sense.”

Celestia paused for a moment, internally weighing the costs versus the benefits. Ultimately, she slumped back and sighed, shaking her head.

“Oh, fine. I’ll see if I can’t talk with the little rabbit.” Celestia smiled courteously. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

Celestia proceeded to leave post-haste, leaving Makoto observing the frantic arguing going on behind him. _(For crying out loud…_ is _there a ghost, or not?!)_

* * *

**(Music – Moon on the Water –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc>)**

_Day 7 – Storage Room – 4:23 PM_

Celestia had good perception skills: she had to be to be the Ultimate Gambler. So when she heard the sound of terrified tears from the storage room near the dorms, the gothic lolita felt inclined to follow the sounds. And indeed, she found Chihiro _exactly_ where she’d thought she’d see her: huddling in a duffel bag somewhere.

The sight _almost_ reminded Celestia of a small, frail child huddling around a blanket – a thought Celestia immediately attempted to expunge from her mind, given this is a _teenager._ But Chihiro was small, and she was frail; with an unusual pedigree of care uncanny for somebody as tactless as her, the gambler lowered herself to Chihiro’s eye level and spoke in a soft tone.

“Umm… Chihiro.” Celestia quietly whispered. “Are you… going to be okay?”

“Nnhuh?” Chihiro whimpered. “A-Are the ghosts… g-gone?”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, they’re gone; as if there was any of them to begin with. You can come out of your bag now.”

Chihiro huddled in silence around the duffel bag, before she briefly stepped outside of the confines of the bag only to sniffle gently, wiping teary eyes against the sleeve of her shirt.

“T-Thanks for finding me…” Chihiro whispered gently. “I-I just get scared v-very easily…”

Celestia, under normal circumstances, would’ve proceeded to leave then and there. But given how small Chihiro was, how _frail_ she was, Celestia almost saw a reflection present here… and it’s a miracle Celestia didn’t try to strangle herself for comparing her to a bore like _her._ But she still instinctively empathized with the small girl, and nonetheless bided the time to converse with the small hacker.

Carefully, Celestia chose her words with a caution unbecoming of her. “This whole Killing Game… it scares you, doesn’t it?”

Chihiro sniffled in reply to that. “How can I _not_ be scared?” The young girl turned to the older teen with a fearful, but calm expression. “Are you scared?”

Celestia thought about what she was going to say next, very carefully no less – ultimately, she clamped back on any snippy remarks or craftly lies she could’ve thought of in that moment, before smiling sincerely and nodding. “Honestly? Yes. Quite a bit, I might add. But… I try not to rely on others. That’s what worked for me all my life.”

Chihiro almost seemed disheartened. “I… see. That’s all you want to say?”

“Truthfully yes, but…” Celestia sighed, deep in thought. “I see a part of myself in you, Chihiro-chan. More than I’d like to admit to myself.”

In that moment, the gothic lolita sat next to the female programmer and smiled. “I’ll tell you what; why don’t we work out a little… ohh, _arrangement_ here?”

Chihiro blinked. “Arrangement?”

“Yes; more out of mutual benefit than any definitive reason.” Celestia nodded. “You help me in clearing my name should any murder arise… and _I_ help _you_ in making you feel like any fears are quelled. Because… I was like you, once. I used to fear many things at once.”

Chihiro nodded. “Did you… grow past that?”

“You can say I did. But I still wouldn’t be remiss to helping you… if you want it, of course.” Celestia shook her head. “Honestly, you’re lucky I’m giving you this deal. It truly is a remarkable blessing from the Great Ludenberg, now is it?”

Chihiro giggled gently, before smiling more; for whatever reason, that cheered her up. “I’d like that, Celestia. So… you’ll help me out, then?”

“With pleasure.” Celestia finally slipped back into her elegant persona she was so used to displaying. “Oh, you can consider it a… _non-aggression pact_ of sorts. Or even a defense pact; I help you, and you help me.”

Chihiro paused for a moment, before smiling. Silently, the young girl nodded – and hugged Celestia.

 _“H-Hey, what are you – “_ Celestia blushed. _“O-Off!”_

“S-Sorry! I, um…” Chihiro broke off only to think how she was going to phrase her statement. “It’s just that we’re both… _girls,_ right? That’s how it is, yeah?”

Celestia should’ve and would’ve picked up on how forced ‘girls’ sounded from Chihiro, but Celestia nonetheless dismissed it in favor of smiling gently. “Yes… I suppose that’s one way of putting it. We _do_ have to stick up for each other, in times like these.”

Chihiro giggled. “So, that means you wanna join us more frequently?”

“Heavens, no. I have better things to attend to, in all honesty.” Celestia looked away and shook her head – all before turning back and smiling. “But… I may just as well make an exception for you – if only out of mutual benefit.”

Celestia finally stood up and offered her hand. “Now… you wish to follow or not?”

Chihiro looked at Celestia for a long while… before smiling. The first, real, genuine smile Chihiro offered since running off, and she felt like she could relate to Celestia here… and, almost, felt at ease know _someone_ out here was willing to give mutual assistance, if out of pragmatism.

Chihiro’s tiny hands gripped onto Celestia’s, and the young programmer was pulled onto her feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it is decided! Celestia/Chihiro is one of the ships I’ve planned, kehehehehe. Just as planned, always as planned!
> 
> If you haven’t figured out by now, yes, Celestia and Chihiro have a very big trajectory going their way – but whether they live or die is entirely at my own discretion. Don’t be shocked if I happen to kill them off at any given point, ohohoh. ;)
> 
> Well, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the second part of **Chapter 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope’s Peak** – especially with a murder right around the corner!


	10. Chapter 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope’s Peak (Daily Life; Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Seven Hauntings of Hope's Peak reaches a crescendo, and as secrets are revealed, and irreplaceable deadline sets in for the motive.
> 
> And as if things could possibly get worse... well, just wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, I apologize for keeping you all in the dark for so long! I’ve been meaning to update this fic over the span of a couple of weeks, not a month! Aaaagh.
> 
> Anyway, really sorry all of you had to wait as long as you did! I do hope either way that you enjoy the current update of Sporting Hopefuls, though – it’s been a long time coming, and it’s frustrating to me personally that I haven’t updated it in what felt like forever.
> 
> So here we are! **Chapter 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope’s Peak** is under way! Do enjoy!

**(Music – All All Apologies –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2esIPsFv8KE>)**

_Day 8 – Las Monogas, Hallway – 9:26 AM_

In hindsight, Makoto should’ve realized _something_ was off with Hifumi tending to his own business in the second floor.

Between the garish, flashing lights of the pseudo-city remodeled from a school floor, the fact Hifumi himself emerged _directly_ out of the _women’s_ bathroom with a pensive look on his eyes… yeah, how could that _not_ scream of anything but suspicion? But as it stood, Makoto saw nothing immediately alarming here – just a disconcerting matter more than anything. As Hifumi looked both ways across the hallway before removing himself from the proximity of the room, Makoto stopped him in his tracks.

 _(Alright, is it me, or is_ something _not right here? I better go check with him.)_ Makoto approached Hifumi while his back was turned; the obese fanfic writer seemed to have not notice Makoto approach him from behind. “Uh, Hifumi? Mind if we… talk?”

 _“Hm?! GYAAAH?!”_ Hifumi nearly flew back upon _just_ noticing Makoto. _“Master Naegi, don’t sneak up on me like that!_ Seriously, don’t you know better than to approach people with all the supernatural activity going on?”

 _(Supernatural activity…?)_ Makoto snarked internally. _(Why bring that up here when… nothing’s happened yet?)_

Of course, aside from the incident that occurred over the last few days, things have… mercifully simmered down. And Makoto couldn’t help but question how and why that was; it seemed awfully too good to be true that this whole mess would just _stop,_ especially with the fact _whoever_ was responsible for the whole mess seemed to have nailed seven different bathrooms in that short of a time. Makoto almost considered it a miracle if it really _did_ cease, really.

But regardless, Makoto silenced these thoughts to raise an eyebrow towards Hifumi. “Well… I won’t ask what you’ve been up to. But why were you in the women’s restroom?”

“Me?! Oh, well…” Hifumi coughed nervously, giving a pensive look. “I just like to… _observe_ is all. Hehe.”

 _(…okay, I am NOT going to ask what he means. But does that mean he’s the one who’s…)_ Makoto stayed silent for a bit longer. _(No, I… wouldn’t think so. He’s way to lethargic to be stealthy. Who else could’ve been involved in all of this…?)_

“Umm… Master Naegi? You’ve been… well, quiet.” Hifumi cleared his throat. “You sure you don’t need to discuss something?”

“H-Huh? No, don’t worry about me! I’m fine.” Makoto flustered before clearing his throat. “Though I _do_ gotta ask. What’s your opinion on this “haunting” business that’s been going around? I’m actually kinda hesitant to consider the possibility there _is_ ghosts haunting the place.”

“Hmm… well, y’know how I ended up agreeing with Hiro and Toko on the matter, yeah?” Hifumi shook his head. “Honestly… I’m doing that because, well, I _am_ curious as to why all of this has been happening… but it’s why I’ve been investigating matters. Yeah, heh.” Hifumi gave a sheepish smile. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Then… is that _another_ reason why you went? Aside from… _observing?”_ Makoto cocked an eyebrow, a much more calm expression for somebody who struggled to utter that last word.

Suddenly, Hifumi became silent. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat, looking away for a moment. “…if I tell you, will you promise not to tell anybody?”

Makoto smiled. “I’m bad at telling lies anyway, so why not? It’d genuinely be the _least_ I can do.”

**(Music Fades Out)**

Hifumi stopped to consider this for a brief second. Before long, however, he revealed that of which was in his hand the entire time: an effigy of sorts.

The effigy was… well, it was certainly not bad. It had a strange sort of anime-esque complexion to it, one that was noticeable despite the paper mache’s white coloring making it harder to see. But it definitely looked like something straight out of a magical girl’s anime. Makoto couldn’t help but whisper to himself in admiration.

“I… see. That’s really nice looking!” Makoto smiled. “You made this?”

“Actually… not really, no.” Hifumi smiled awkwardly. “A certain, ah… _person_ who’s been sending me letters was the one who’s made this.”

 **(Music – Moon on the Water –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVKWKIwXXc) **)**

Makoto was… surprised to hear that. Another impressed whistle was sounded from him. “That’s awesome! I’m genuinely surprised somebody would imply interest like that.”

“Well… it’s more than that.” Hifumi awkwardly laughed. “The person who’s been laying these effigies all over the place… they seem to have been found all over while the hauntings have been going on. I’ve been… trying to collect them all. Largely because I’ve been getting letters from people who want to be… with me, in a sense.”

Makoto looked even more curious. “Who could be doing that, then?”

“Oh, you know…” Hifumi laughed. “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you who it is, Master Naegi. But…”

Hifumi fell quiet.

“…Hifumi-kun? You’ve got something you wanted to say?” Makoto cocked another eyebrow.

Hifumi noticeable tensed up, but he still smiled. “If I were to be honest? It’s because I’ve never really had any friends… or _girls_ for that matter who complemented me for who I am aside from, well… Mom. It’s honestly part of the reason why I went into the field of 2-D than 3-D! Because, well…”

Hifumi simply gave a sad smile. “It wasn’t like anybody was there for me in turn. Fiction doesn’t judge, anyway.”

Makoto felt his heart sink for a bit, before he pulled himself out of that moment of depression to smile at Hifumi. “So, what you’ve been trying to do was… well, find some meaning in the matter? Is that it?”

“You can say that.” Hifumi smiled sheepishly. “But… it’s still nice getting to talk openly about this sort of thing. Keeping it bottled in I don’t think does anybody any good.”

“Heh. Yeah, I guess.” Makoto smiled. “Well… I’ll leave you be. Just come to me if anything suspicious comes up, yeah?”

 _“Will do, Master Naegi! My skills are at your disposal!”_ Hifumi flared his nostrils before smiling genuinely. “And if you ever need a commission… well! You know who to call.”

Makoto gave an awkward smile, chuckling a bit. “I, ah… don’t think that’ll be needed for the time being. But thanks.”

Makoto and Hifumi had a few more nice conversations before parting ways.

* * *

**(Music – Beautiful Morning –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fxT8Ev1AvU>** **)**

_Day 9 – Gym – 10:55 AM_

The day the remaining students were called into the gym by demand unanimously was something _everybody_ dreaded.

No small part of that was everything being… _quiet,_ ever since the supposed paranormal activity wracked everybody by storm. Chihiro, thankfully, seemed a lot more calmer ever _since_ the incident… and she was taking his time happily conversing with… _Celestia,_ of all people?

The very notion of the Queen of Liars opening up to _anybody_ was a surprise. Makoto tactfully preserved this note in his brain for future reference.

Leon, who was standing next to his friend, gave a pensive yawn. “Goddamn, I’m _sooo tiiiiiiired._ Why did that stupid bear have to pick _now_ to give a motive?”

Aoi noticed that comment and – for some reason – immediately went on the defensive. “W-Well there’s no guarantee that Monokuma’s ought to have _another_ one of his stupid motives, does he?! C’mon, don’t be negative, Leon!”

“He isn’t incorrect, though.” Kyoko, aloof as ever, looked away with a sideway glance. “Doesn’t it seem strange he’s gathered us _all_ here? He can appear and disappear at will. If he wanted to broach the subject to us individually or in a smaller group, why would he summon us here?”

“Well, it’s still really bizarre if you ask me. And in terrible timing too.” Hiro shrugged. “Seems to me like all he wants to do is be an inconvenience whenever possible.”

Mondo concurred with a distinctive growl. “A _punchable_ inconvenience.”

Taka laughed awkwardly. “W-Well now, no need to be so inclined to seek violence, my friend! Best hear what he has to say first, right?”

Mondo looked pensive for a split second, before turning away and smiling; for the first time, he listened to somebody. “Eh? Yeah, I suppose. Thanks, bro.”

“No problem, ‘bro’! Hahahahah!” The more warm-hearted members of Class 78 smiled upon seeing Taka wrap his harm around Mondo, causing the biker gang leader to break out in an even goofier smile. Whatever happened during the “sweat-off,” it created a bond that brought the best out of both men.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Are you really going to continue with this?” Celeste rolled her eyes. “Now that I genuinely question what’ll happen later… I frankly can’t imagine it’ll be anything _good.”_

“W-Well… I just hope he makes whatever he has in mind quick.” Chihiro clicked her tongue, shyly looking away from the group. “Honestly, I fully expect things to spiral out of control whenever _he_ gets involved.”

“I can only imagine why.” Junko visibly rolled her eyes. “Well, whatever! Just stay on your toes and be ready whenever he decides to appear!”

_“Well lucky for you, you won’t have to wait much longer! BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!”_

**(Music – Momomomonokuma! –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlfyPWkDIHw** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlfyPWkDIHw) **)**

 _Everybody_ recognized that voice from the comms. Before anybody had the time to even _wince_ from the impending misery that was about to ensue, a certain fluffy, monochrome bear made himself present to the thirteen remaining students. Jubilantly, he gave a jump and little wave in the air.

 _“Yoohoo! How are you, everyone?~”_ Monokuma’s voice was in a disgusting little sing-along to the tone of his voice. “I’m here to deliver your next motives!”

 **(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Lesson –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk) **)**

“Oh, crap…” Leon muttered under his breath as Monokuma all-too-happily waved back to the crowd.

 _“IT’S ME, BITCHES!_ Let’s cut to the chase all, hmm?” Monokuma cackled. “No need to necessarily go into details this time around, do I…?”

Monokuma trailing off – as intended – only annoyed the present students _further._ Surprisingly enough, Hifumi seemed not too much inclined to speak out himself. “Damnit, what will you do _now!_ You _better_ not do anything like what you tried to pull with sister!”

 _Everybody_ turned to Hifumi incredulously – even the stoic Kyoko. Hifumi merely cleared his throat and looked defensive. “What, is it that weird even a blob like _me_ has a sister?! Gah!”

“Alright, cut the chatter, all of you! We’ve got _despair_ to seed through all of you sorry louts!” With a barely audible _“We didn’t even talk_ that _much…”_ from Hiro himself, Monokuma seemed to file through his artificial stuffing before stumbling upon the crème de la crème of his own plans – fifteen little letters. And with pitch-perfect accuracy, he threw each and every one of them to their names. Just like the incident with the Student Handbooks upon first coming here, those who were not fast enough to catch it ended up getting a paper cut of sort – an impressive feat when one was to think about it.

Sakura, naturally, had to comment. “Why _is_ it that these envelopes are so… sharp, anyways? Doesn’t that seem a little superfluous?” Nonetheless, her concerns has fallen on deaf ursine ears as the mascot motioned everybody _else_ to open it.

“Wellllll…? Aren’t you going to read it?” Monokuma bore a disturbingly humanlike smile that _reeked_ of sadism. “Aren’t ya gonna _open_ it? Puhuhuhuhuhu…!”

**(Music Slowly Fades Out)**

Makoto felt a dark pit settle in his stomach. _(Why do I_ always _have a bad feeling about that rotten bear? Oh, well… if I have to, I might as well…)_ Makoto opened up the envelope with one hand and took out the letter with the other. And as he unfolded _that,_ it read:

* * *

**_“Makoto Naegi constantly wet the bed until 5 th Grade.”_ **

* * *

**(Music – Mr. Monokuma's Extracurricular Lesson –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0JuVXTcUw** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy0JuVXTcUw) **)**

_Day 9 – Gym – 11:08 AM_

Makoto _immediately_ turned pale in horror. _“W-What are these…?!”_ was his response, one that he only _barely_ kept within a whisper so that nobody heard him. Not that that was hard at all – while he was close enough to Leon to hear _his_ whispers of pure horror (namely, him mouthing “WTF” inaudibly), Mondo made certain that _his_ reaction dampened everybody else’s reactions.

 _“W… W-W…”_ Mondo paused for a second, before _roaring. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE, YOU MOTHERFUCKING BEAR?! HOW DID YOU GET THIS INFORMATION?!”_

Kyoko herself only had a split second of shock written all over her face before immediately assuming back to a stoic – if nonetheless shaken – poker face. “…I see. You wish to blackmail us with these, don’t you?”

“Well, if it were _only_ that, I wouldn’t be in the position to get you to kill each other, no?” Monokuma cackled and danced gleefully. “Well, if it needs to be said, I’ll say it! You have until _tonight_ to kill _somebody_ – _anybody_ – before the stroke of midnight, or else I’m broadcasting all of your private information to the world! Your friends, your family… everybody and _anybody_ will be the first to know about the _truth!”_

 _“WHAT?!”_ Toko, Taka and Hiro’s reactions were _somehow_ in perfect sync with each other, and deafening to anybody who listened. Celeste, despite blanching in shock a mere couple of seconds ago, nonetheless kept a cool composure.

“…I see. So, to hasten the fact that somebody’s going to die, you’re blackmailing us with our own secrets in a race against the clock?” Celeste cocked an amused eyebrow. “And if we fail to beat that clock… we all have our secrets revealed, yes?”

“Yeppers! Bingo! _Bullseye!”_ Monokuma cackled. “You have until midnight to kill _somebody,_ lest your secrets be revealed to the world for all to see! I suggest you all think this through wisely, though! I’d _hate_ to have to ruin people’s reputations as is… after all, what kind of headmaster would _do that_ to his own children?”

 _“Certainly a better one than_ you, _you son-of-a-bitch!”_ Leon cried out, his voice in a venomous growl. _“Seriously, what kind of fucking shit have we_ done _to earn this from you?”_

“Ohh, I dunno… _EXISTING.”_ One could _hear_ the smarmy sense of victory present in Monokuma’s voice. “Welp, th-th-th-that’s _all,_ folks! Good luck, have fun, and remember! Winner of the Killing Game walks home free! _BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!”_

And just like that, Monokuma disappeared.

 **(Music – Despair Syndrome (Ver. 2) –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPupxGyxZM) **)**

Everybody stood there in silence. It seemed to have felt like an eternity before anybody even _began_ to find the courage to speak up. That was how stricken everybody in the room was.

Well, except Mondo, of course.

 _“Grrrrrrrr… AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!”_ Mondo _roared;_ his face was flushed with anger as he stomped around, barely containing his rage. _“THAT MOTHERFUCKING BEAR! I’M GONNA **KILL HIM!!”**_

 _“M-Mondo, please, calm down! Your reaction isn’t doing anybody good!”_ Taka _immediately_ went to placate his friend. _“Please, I need you to – “_

 _“Or what? Just bend the fuck over and let that fucking CUNT have our way with us! LIKE HELL YOU’RE ONE TO TALK!!”_ In his blind rage, Mondo holstered Taka up by the neck; not exactly choking him, but definitely not being gentle. This, needless to say, brought out a reaction from _everybody._

Chihiro, despite blanching in horror at what _his_ secret entailed – much less tearing up – the young girl felt immediately inclined to speak up in Taka’s defense. _“M-Mondo-kun, please! Put him down! He doesn’t deserve this!”_

 _“Mondo, that’s enough! Let him go!”_ For the first time since Kyoko was trapped here, she raised her voice – how much of this was stress versus a booming command was to be a riddle for the ages. Either way, though, Mondo relented; upon returning to his senses, he looked on in horror as he, gently, laid down his friend that he just hoisted up by the neck.

Mondo felt a pang of guilt overcome him. “I… I didn’t mean to..”

“W-Why on Earth…” Taka, who was on the ground, collapsed into a coughing fit. _“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! I know you’re upset, but we ought to be focusing on MONOKUMA, not me! It’s not ME who’s killing somebody!”_

Mondo was paralyzed with indecision, and it was at this point Junko – who was strangely silent during the distribution of leaked information – stepped in. “I think it’s time to take Mondo away from all of this, yes? Seems like the best solution at hand here.”

Now that he’s returned from his anger, Mondo nodded dejectedly. Balling his hands up in a way that suggested _incredible_ stress, Kyoko, Sakura and Aoi all accompanied the large man out of the gym – the three girls looking just as dejected as Mondo did.

“Damnit! How’d they _get_ that information?!” Aoi wrung her hands in distress. “S-So _what_ if I have a few skeletons in the closet…?”

Sakura was quick to comfort her friend. “Easy there, Asahina. Stay vigilant; the world should be over with time.”

And just like that four students left. It wasn’t long before everybody else – Makoto included – left with them, looking _just_ as dejected as they _had_  to have been from that bombshell. Chihiro, of course, resumed tearing up and wringing at her skirt.

“I… I-I…” Chihiro, in his weakest moment, turned to Celestia teary-eyed. _“W-What do I do…? I’m so scared, I…”_

Celestia sighed, shaking her head. “You must not fret about this. The kind of reaction the Mastermind got here… it had to be what he _wanted,_ right? We can’t shrivel in the face of despair like this. Even somebody as cynical as me… well, it goes from experience to know that acting angsty isn’t good for you.”

Chihiro sniffled. “Do you mean that…?”

“Heavens, of course! Even low-class individuals like _Makoto and Leon_ can rebound from this. Who says fine-cultured people like us can’t rebound either?” Gently, the taller girl reached over to Chihiro and took the weeping programmer by her hand. “Come now; we have much to do before that point. Let it be known I’ll keep an eye on you up to that point. Sounds fair, seigneur?”

Chihiro looked at Celeste and smiled. It should’ve been then that the programmer realized that no insignificant amount of stress was written all over her face. But the Gambler took it all with stride, as if she dealt with this sort of thing in tandem before…

…in hindsight, Chihiro realized that something was _wrong_ with Celestia.

* * *

**(Music – Despair Syndrome –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T048Hz17DbY** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T048Hz17DbY) **)**

_Day 9 – Hallway – 11:42 AM_

_“WHAT THE HELL WAS **THAT?!”** _ Leon’s pure, flustered _ire_ could be heard several rooms away as-is, much less with the young teen frantically pacing around in stress. _“How did they get… t-that information?! Jesus fucking Christ, I… gah!”_

As if hoping kicking a trash can would vent the poor boy’s stress, he utterly knocked the undeserving can of rubbish several times. Of course, he knew this wasn’t going to resolve things; with a clear deadline as to how and _when_ that information would be leaked, Leon knew that he was going to have his _own_ secret given to the whole _world,_ without any of his consent. And if _he_ was reacting badly, one had to bare witness to Mondo Owada: the beast of a man was _howling_ in rage, much less pure fear at whatever _his_ secret was.

Leon, for a moment, was thankful that he wasn’t so hot-headed as to _lose_ it like that.

Makoto eventually found Leon’s angrish worrisome enough to finally interject. “Leon, I… look, I won’t ask what your secret is. But maybe you should chill out a bit? I certainly can’t imagine whatever you have is _that_ bad. You’re a pretty upstanding guy and all.”

“Well, _that’s…!”_ Leon tried to think of a clever retort to a perfectly reasonable comment, but quickly clamped on it upon remembering Makoto did _not_ deserve the baseball star’s snark. “…well, you’re… not wrong. Sorry, Naegs. I just… it’s embarrassing, y’know?”

**(Music Slowly Fades Out)**

“You think _I_ don’t feel that way? We all have something we don’t want to share.” Makoto gave a genuine smile, patting the taller boy on the back. “Besides, the fact you listened… not to judge, but that implies the secret isn’t _that_ bad, right? I mean, it isn’t like you killed anybody…”

Makoto knew he was taking a gamble with assuming what Leon’s secret was, but given how he _immediately_ destressed, it was a gamble that payed off. Leon relaxed his muscles as he took a _deep_ breath of air that he exhaled just as slowly as he inhaled. He then turned to the shorter boy and smiled wearily.

 **(Music – Desire for Execution –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHlKfNSiM2c** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHlKfNSiM2c) **)**

“…yeah. You’re… you’re right. This ain’t nothing to be worked up about, right?” Leon gave a bit of a exasperated chuckle. “Thanks. And, uh, I’m _really_ lucky I’ve got a guy on my shoulders.”

“It’s fine, no worries.” Makoto smiled back, before blushing. “Though, uh… y-you don’t mind if you share your secret, yeah?”

Leon immediately – and understandably – got defensive. _“W-Why should I tell you?!”_

“Well, uh…” Makoto gulped, before continuing. “If you tell me your secret, I’ll tell you mine. That’s fair?”

Leon considered the possibilities for a quick second, before nodding. “…alright. Only if you share first.”

“Will do. I trust you, after all.” Makoto blushed as he looked away. “I, uh… only stopped wetting the bed until 5th Grade.”

Leon mouthed _something_ in disbelief, and only looked more and more shocked at the young boy in that moment. _“Y-You serious?!_ That…” A pause. “That… actually ain’t all that bad. Huh.”

“Definitely not what you were expecting for ‘dark secrets,’ huh?” Makoto laughed in a way that resonated innocence. “Can you… share now?”

Leon paused for what seemed to be a split second, gently gnawing on his lip. And thus, he spoke:

“I, uh… am afraid of the Meet the Robinson movie.” Leon’s cheeks colored brightly as he said that.

Makoto mouthed the titular intellectual property as if to comprehend it. “The… _what?”_

 _“IT’S A KIDS’ MOVIE, OKAY?! I WAS SCARED SHITLESS BY IT IS ALL!”_ Leon only turned even _more_ red before angrily muttering away from the general direction of Makoto. “Ugh, s-sorry! It’s just – I ain’t comfortable discussing this at all! Agh!”

Makoto couldn’t help but take a good-hearted laugh at Leon’s expense, but before the faux-redhead could grow offended, Makoto quickly correctly himself. “N-No – _snrk_ – I’m not laughing at _you!_ It just ain’t that bad of an image to hide secret!”

“Y-Yeah, so…?! It just… it’s just _uncool_ is all, damnit!” As Leon crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks, Makoto internally snarked that he would _not_ look out of place as a male tsundere. “I mean, you _laugh,_ but I just want to _not_ be the dork of everybody here present!”

“Y-Yeah – _haha_ – y-you’re right. Hehe, sorry Leon.” Makoto now felt bad at giggling, and to compensate, he wrapped his hand around the taller boy’s back. “Hey, I’m sorry, okay? I just… that ain’t bad at all! You’re still who you are, Leon, and I don’t think having a bad childhood memory is that bad of a dark secret.”

Leon rolled his eyes, but he seemed to be finally smiling back. “Y-Yeah. I know you’re right. I just… like it when people interact with me in a good way, y’know? I guess I’m just the kind of person who seeks validation or some shit. I’unno.”

“Which I wouldn’t call a bad thing. Everybody needs to have the feeling they’re appreciated.” Makoto smiled gently in turn. “Heck, you at least have your talent! I’m just… boring old me. Boring old _Makoto Naegi.”_

One could almost resolutely _hear_ the angst in his voice, but he simply shook his head regardless. “Still, nevermind me. And don’t worry about your secret; if something happens, I’ll keep your secret safe. Alright?”

He really didn’t hope “something” happened. He knew what the only condition for the secrets not being leaked _were._ Regardless, the small comfort cheered up Leon considerably, and before long, the teen was beaming once again. “Y-Yeah, you’re… you’re right. Thanks, Naegs.”

Makoto grinned. “My pleasure. But shouldn’t we be catching up with – “

**(Music Abruptly Stops)**

_“EyaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”_

**(Music – Finding Peace Party –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One782vERzc** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One782vERzc) **)**

A shrill scream pierced the room as, in that moment, a tremor rocked the entire room. Makoto quickly was knocked onto his feet, as was Leon, especially with a loud wail resonating through the room – one that _wasn’t_ humanlike, for certain. Leon and Makoto merely exchanged a single glance before the wannabe-punk star spoke up.

“…everyone?” Leon sheepishly whispered. “Yeah, _good idea.”_

“No need to tell me twice.” Makoto got up as fast as Leon did. “Let’s go!”

And soon enough, both boys rushed to the source of the commotion.

* * *

**(Music – Nightmare in the Locker –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_bLcY6c3os** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_bLcY6c3os) **)**

_Day 9 – Las Monogas – 11:51 AM_

_“We heard the commotion! What the hell happened?!”_

Leon uttered what Makoto was going to say, obviously with a _lot_ less profanity thrown into the mix. Everybody seemed to have been gathered in the artificial gambling city with an endless night to it; Kyoko, for one, looked as unflappable as ever versus the mixed variety of emotions displayed by everybody present.

“Ah, you’re hear. Good.” Kyoko glanced over to what… seemed to have been the women’s bathroom. “Naegi-kun, Kuwata-kun… mind being able to explain where both of you were?”

“I was, uh, just ventin’ with Naegs over my own secret.” Leon was out of breath before he even arrived. “How can you remain so _calm_ to yours?”

If Makoto wasn’t as perceptive as he was, he wouldn’t have noticed Kyoko gnawing at her lip for a split second before returning to her poker face. “…it’s nothing I feel comfortable discussing. But anyway, can you explain to me what’s happened here?”

“Hm? ‘Here’?” Makoto took the time to walk closer to the commotion, only to be greeted with the sounds of an _infuriated_ Celestia.

 _“Who in the name of all the kami INVADED MY OWN PERSONAL BUSINESS?! **AGAIN?!”**_ Celestia was virtually _frothing_ at the mouth, much less with a rose-colored tint on her cheeks. Immediately, she holstered Hifumi up with a strength she did not normally have, and _hollered_ at him at that moment. **_“YOU?!_** _Are you the one who snuck up on me like that for such an unseemly prank?! ANSWER ME!”_

 _“Gyaaaaaaaah! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”_ Hifumi wailed. _“I had nothing to do with this, I swear!”_

 _“Y-Yes, release him at once, Ludenberg!”_ Taka swiftly interjected, oblivious to Hifumi’s own pitifulness. “T-There’s no need for violence, especially after Mondo’s outburst and retreat elsewhere! Besides, Hifumi was away from when the blast happened! He has nothing to do with this, at all!”

 _(Retreat elsewhere?!)_ Makoto quickly stepped in, glancing over at Junko and Taka, whom both were trying to distract themselves elsewhere. “Hey… where’s Mondo and Chihiro? Have you’ve seen either?”

Both teens _froze_ before suddenly melting away. Taka took a deep breath and sighed. “…after he launched himself at me, we haven’t seen hide nor hair of them. I’m honestly kinda worried where they went off to…”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Ugh, I shouldn’t have let him slip away from me!” Junko was scarcely a detective, but she gave an exaggerated sigh herself. _“But that’s beside the point!”_ Know to give a lady some business sometime, yeah?! Especially if you’re gonna prank somebody…”

‘Prank’? _‘Blast’?_

Makoto and Leon both became increasingly concerned with all of these terms being applied at once. Hiro, in a rare display of awareness, gently nudged over the two boys throughout the commotion and gave directions for entry.

“You’re clear to go in and see for yourself, y’know. I ain’t stoppin’ you.” Hiro gave a sheepish smile as he looked away. “Though from what I’m seeing, it’s _totally_ gonna be ghosts…”

Leon wasn’t as concerned about that; instead, he took the time to look Hiro in the eye and raise an eyebrow – two boys have gone missing. “Well, I’m not as worried about that. You’ve overheard Junko and Taka, right? Mondo and Chihiro aren’t anywhere to be found… that is usually not a good sign.”

Aoi overheard _that,_ and put her conversation with Sakura on pause to pass by. _“H-Hey! They should be fine!_ I dunno where they went, and Celes seems too flustered to communicate where she went off to… but they should be fine. I, er, hope.” Aoi puffed her cheeks. “But yeah, whatever! Go check out the bathroom if ya have you, man.”

Leon and Makoto took steps in, at Aoi’s suggestions. And they were shocked to learn what the bathroom looked like.

For one, the lights were flickering like crazy; there seemed to have been _some_ kind of blast that went on in here, something that barely _anybody_ could’ve fathomed how and when it was made. But with trash and debris littered all over the floor in harmless-but-uncleanly ways, the most foreboding element was the bright red colored kanji written on the mirror:

**_“GET OUT.”_ **

Makoto’s jaw dropped. “Holy… is this for… real…? What…?!”

“You _see_ what I mean?!” Hiro cackled aloud. “It was ghosts! _It was totally, ghosts! Somebody pick up that phone, because I fucking CALLED IT!”_

Leon and Makoto merely shared a duo of glances with each other, before the faux-redhead spoke in a way that conveyed no shortage of worry. “Should we, uh… stay here for a bit to look around?”

Makoto gulped. “Good idea.”

* * *

**(Music – DISTRUST –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sbcm-Hb8Sk** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sbcm-Hb8Sk) **)**

_Day 9 – Cafeteria – 2:02 PM_

“So, can _anybody_ explain to me what just happened?”

Kyoko wasn’t even mad asking that question. Rather, she was disappointed: she knew all too well from what’s been gathered that this was _some_ kind of prank in terrible taste, or at least as far as the logical part of her brain demanded to believe. Her current hypothesis stands that _somebody_ went in to set up _some_ kind of EMP, while simultaneously painting the mirror with bright red kanji.

At least, that the theory that Kyoko subscribed to; with them discussing matters at the cafeteria, a consensus was (mostly) stated by Kyoko. But when all the tension ended up defusing among the students, a non-insignificant number of them ended up questioning the validity of what was going on.

“Look, I don’t mean to give _somebody_ here too much credit, but… what if it _is_ a ghost?” Aoi gulped a little bit when she said that. “I mean… doesn’t it seem _strange_ that somebody would just sneak up on the girls’ bathrooms in such short order?”

Nobody quite had an answer to that.

“Well… just because there has to be _some_ foul play present here doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for paranormal investigation, y’know?” Hiro spoke in a hushed tone, ominously so. “I mean, two people _have_ died in a pretty horrific manner and all… wouldn’t it make sense that their ghosts would be tethered to the mortal plane here?”

“Sounds like a bunch of superstition to me.” Kyoko’s response was rather brutally honest. “Think of it logically; if there _were_ such a thing as ghosts, wouldn’t there be more recorded instances of the matter? We can identify any phenomena through careful investigation, so I’d advise we just – “

“B-But… t-that doesn’t mean Hiro’s _wrong…”_ Toko whispered. “L-Look, Hiro’s an imbecile, but… m-maybe there _are_ ghosts around…? I-I’ve seen activity in my stall that implies th-that…”

“Aaagh, you too?! You’re making me nervous now!” Aoi pouted before Sakura rested a giant hand on her comparatively small shoulder.

“At ease, Asahina. You do not need to fear the presence of any supernatural instances.” Sakura gave a gentle smile that melted the worry within the tomboy swimmer. Sakura redirected her attention to the group. “Still, I’m worried about Mondo and Chihiro. They did… not take the impending deadline too well, at all. I advise a search for both of them before the day’s over.”

“That _does_ seem to be the priority here. I just…” Leon suddenly sighed, shaking his head. “Damn it. If it _isn’t_ anything supernatural and crap, then _who the hell is doing all of this…?!”_

Unfortunately, no one had an answer to that question. But Kyoko improvised nonetheless.

“Well, it should be a priority for us to begin a manhunt for Mondo and Chihiro.” Kyoko stood up with a firm expression in her eyes. “Don’t forget how he launched himself on Taka – we need to make sure neither of them got hurt.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m worried too. I just…” Taka shook his head. “I just hope he isn’t beating himself up. Whatever his secret is, it’s got to be _bad.”_

“No arguments there… but, err…” Hifumi cleared his throat. “I-Is it okay if I stay out of this one? I, er, don’t think I’m that good with finding others…”

Kyoko _glared_ at Hifumi, but them rescinded to a sharp sigh. “…very well. If anybody here feels the need to do _whatever_ they want, then they can leave. Otherwise, you may stay here.”

It didn’t take long before Hifumi left the cafeteria, leaving only a handful of students left. And after a terse silence, Hiro and Toko left as well.

Only Makoto, Leon, Aoi, Sakura, Kyoko, Taka and Junko remained of the group. And none of them looked particularly pepper. Maybe it was the shock event that occurred mere _hours_ ago, but even so… Makoto just wanted things to be the same as it was when he was _normal._ When he wasn’t an Ultimate, nor a victim in a Killing Game. Just… _normal._

Eventually, deciding he needs time to himself, he stood up to make his feelings known.

“It… really is a shame that Mondo and Chihiro are in danger. I just… don’t think I’ll be much help.” Makoto shook his head. “Between the motive, I just… need time to lie down. Please.”

Everybody looked at Makoto with a wide variety of reactions, but in the case of Leon and Makoto, it was sympathy – definitely more sympathy than what Hifumi earned. In that moment, Kyoko sighed and shook her head.

“You may rest.” Kyoko nodded. “I’m aware this is all taking a lot to get adjusted to. And I’m sorry.”

“No… it’s fine.” Makoto gave a sad smile. “It’s just me.”

With a heavy heart, Makoto retreated back to his room in solemn silence.

* * *

**(Music – Welcome to Despair Academy –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvXUPQDvpd4>** **)**

_Day 10 – Makoto’s Dorm – 5:00 PM_

“Hey, uh… Naegs? Can I come in?”

Makoto hadn’t been sleeping, so he heard the sound of a friend he became _very_ close to from a mile away. Smiling sadly, he would go up to the door and opened it… and promptly became _very_ fulfilled upon the scent of two different types of cuisine. One being traditional Japanese bento, the other being an American fried chicken sandwich.

Immediately, Makoto’s face – and stomach – lit up in gratitude. “You got this for me?! Thanks! Sorry I hadn’t come out to dinner yet, it’s just… well…”

Shaking of the moment of sadness, the young boy pulled Leon in for a hug – a completely platonic hug, at least that’s what Makoto told himself. “Thanks, Leon. It’s just been… well, a long day.”

“And I don’t blame ya, man. Frankly, I just want all of this to be over, y’know?” Leon gave a sad smile. “So, uh… ya don’t mind if I stop in for a bit?”

“Hm?” Makoto blushed. “Um, why’s that?”

“Just wanted to check up on you, make sure you’re doing okay. From the looks of it, you have _not_ been sleeping well, man.” Leon’s genuine laugh brought a smile to Makoto’s face, but deep down, he knew the wannabe-rockstar was right. Patting on the bed, Leon sat next to the shorter teen with a sad smile.

“So, uh… dude.” Leon smiled sheepishly. “Something’s been bugging you?”

Makoto fell silent, before shaking his head. “You… promise you won’t laugh?”

“Dude, didn’t you assure me that we wouldn’t make fun of each other?” Leon smiled sympathetically. “We can be honest with each other. It’s an unspoken rule, but… I don’t judge others for what their issues are. Hell, _you_ were the one who did that for me, right?”

Makoto smiled sadly at Leon. Deep down, he knew his friend was right. Taking a deep breath, Makoto shook off his anxiety and recapped his side of the story all for his friend.

 **(Music – Heartless Journey –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PTgs95JMGg** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PTgs95JMGg) **)**

“It’s… Sayaka. I’ve been having nightmares about her.” Makoto kicked around his feet gently as he spoke, him not being tall enough to reach the end of the bed. “About how she died, and… how I felt I was to blame and all.”

Leon didn’t dare interject. Instead, he continued to let his friend vent.

“I just… why does there have to be so much _death_ around here? I never wanted this.” As he spoke, Makoto felt himself tearing up. “I never _wanted_ to see people I grow to _like_ get _murdered_ like this, much less with how everybody’s looking after _me_ like that! I just… want to go back home. I just… w-want to see my… f-family, and… a-and…”

It took a few seconds for the Luckster to realize he was crying. Gently weeping, he wiped away the tears from his eyes, only to be surprised by a gentle hand rubbing him on his back.

“Hey… you know we’re all here for you, right man? We’d never leave you.” Leon knew part of that was a lie, especially given the more selfish members of the team… but he knew that was true for _himself._ “Look. I promise I’ll… make sure you get home, alright? You’re not alone, man, nor will you ever be. I’ll assure you that we’ll get out of this. And when we do, we’ll play baseball, you and me.”

Makoto sniffled. “You… mean it?”

“Duh, of course!” Leon gave a goofy grin to emphasize his point. “Like I said, man. We’ll take care of you. That’s what it means to be an ‘ultimate,’ isn’t it? And… I’d never see you get hurt. You’re too good of a friend for me, man. Too… meaningful, in a sense.”

 _Meaningful._ That word shouldn’t have made Makoto’s stomach feel light in the good sense, but it did. Weakly smiling, he felt tears once again prick his eyes as he hugged Makoto.

“Thank you.” Makoto whispered. “You’re… a good friend, you know that?”

Leon smiled gently, patting his friend on the back. “Hey. That’s what friends are for… right?”

Leon hugged it out with his friend before quietly excusing himself from the group. And contrary to their claims of simple friendship, hindsight would birth the fact that this was final the nail in the coffin for any chance the two of being _just_ friends. Indeed, time would give birth to something that was far more than that.

* * *

**(Music – Cool Morning –** [ **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0QGb_rRik** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0QGb_rRik) **)**

_Day 11 – Cafeteria – 9:06 AM_

“So… any luck?”

Makoto was extra careful to broach the subject, but judging from the epiphany of sighs and grunts from the group, it was no cigar. _Wherever_ Mondo and Chihiro were, they were _gone._

Kyoko spoke softly. “Come to think of it, we haven’t seen Hifumi or Taka around either… but in all fairness, the latter person’s absence _could_ be because we split up.”

Hiro lit up. “Wait, you guys _split up?!_ Don’t you know that’s _dangerous_ to do when there’s ghosts around?!”

“Ugh, just _shut up about ghosts, damnit! No one cares!”_ Aoi cried out. _“That was probably just a prank to get us distracted! Damn it all!”_

“At ease, Asahina. No need to get worked up.” Sakura took a sip of her protein coffee.

“Well, it’s still worth worrying about and all, y’know?” Junko smiled sheepishly. “I mean, it _isn’t_ like Taka to disappear like that either. Something tells me he’s got a lot of explaining to do.”

“W-Well, who k-knows?” Toko grumbled. “H-He might not be as st-straight as we thought h-he is…”

“Doubtful.” Kyoko sipped her coffee. “Seems to me that he must’ve been inconvenienced by something.” Suddenly, Kyoko perked up. “Which begs the question how – “

In that moment, a black blur appeared in the room, out of breath. It was Celestia.

**(Music Stops)**

“G-Guys, _you have to listen! There’s an emergency!”_ Celestia screamed out. _“Follow me to the pool area on the second floor?!”_

Everybody seemed to have not really taken Celestia’s panic heed; she _was_ the Queen of Liars after all. Instead, Toko merely funneled a glare at the gothic gambler.

“W-Why should we believe _y-you?”_ Toko glared daggers. _“Y-You’re a liar! And n-nothing you say will c-change tha – “_

“No, _this is serious!”_ Celes cried out; everything in her posture and expression showed she wasn’t lying. _“It’s Hifumi! He’s_ dead!”

**(Music – New Classmate of the Dead –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4MA78DV3W8>)**

_Everybody_ stood up in response to that, and surely enough, murmuring bursted among the students in the dining hall. Kyoko merely leered at Celestia.

“Show us, _now.”_ Kyoko nodded. And both Celestia and Kyoko, for once, were in agreement; they ran off. Leon _immediately_ lurched upwards, and quickly began a hot pursuit of his own.

 _“Oh, no you don’t!”_ Leon cried out. _“Don’t you_ dare _think about leaving me behind!”_ And with that, Leon ran forward, determined to catch up with the others. Makoto simply spared a glance and comment that told everybody left what they needed to know.

“We should go, I think.” Makoto didn’t need to say it twice. Before long, everybody left the dining hall in hot pursuit of Celestia and Kyoko to find the supposed corpse of Hifumi.

* * *

**(Music Continues)**

_Day 11 – Girls’ Locker Room – 9:31 AM_

Finding the swimming pool wasn’t easy. Amid the artificial cityscape that made up Las Monogas, knowing _where_ the school swimming pool would be regardless of the fake buildings proved to be more trouble than it’s worth… but it was still done. Kyoko and the others hurried into the Girls’ Locker Room, leading on Celestia once everybody has caught up.

“Before we continue, I have several questions.” Kyoko began. “Doesn’t it seem _strange_ that you called us all here out of concern when you yourself have avoided us?”

“Oh my God, you _still_ not over that? For Christ’s sake…” Celestia murdered as her e-Handbook was brandished to give entryway into the pool. “This is a murder! A _murder!_ Anyway, here you are. Just… urp…”

Celestia paled in place seeing the corpse in front of her. Kyoko, having had her patience run dry at this point, interjected.

“Celestia? What is…” Kyoko fell silent. Slowly she opened the door for everybody _else_ to see the scene of the crime.

**(Music – Body Discovery B –<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqe2v-9LaBo>)**

From their side of the pool, everything seemed to be both in place and – for the most part – untouched. Which made the absolute mess on the far end of the pool all the more shocking: blood pooled around a mammoth, bloated corpse, with illegible-from-a-distance scribbling surrounding his body. But what was the most shocking thing _wasn’t_ the repeated stab wounds; it’s the fact his _jaw_ was shredded off, lying on the floor, as his blank eyes stared gormlessly into the ceiling above.

And those eyes belonged to none other than one Hifumi Yamada.

………

……

…

**_CHAPTER 2: The Seven Hauntings of Hope’s Peak – DAILY LIFE END_ **

**_SURVIVING STUDENTS: 12_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there goes the otaku. Press F to pay respects.
> 
> Anyway, sorry it took as long as it did to get this update revamped! I had some seriously reservations about the original draft, but here we are! Hopefully this proves to be far more satisfactory all-around.
> 
> See you guys later! Ciao!


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